Silver-Tongue
by Combat Engineer
Summary: In a city that accepts everything and in the same breath oppresses true emotions, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps feel something building in their professional relationship that both frightens and excites them. But in order to progress, each must search themselves and battle with their inner demons to fully understand what it means to be "predator" and "prey" united.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The movie Zootopia and everything depicted therein belongs to Walt Disney Pictures/Walt Disney Animation Studios, copyrighted in 2016. I own nothing. This story was originally written by Glowinglightdude but they have since deleted this story and their account and have vanished into the night. I have taken it upon myself to preserve this wonderful story and have decided to re-upload it so that others may continue to enjoy it as well. If the original author wishes, I will immediately take it down but until then, enjoy.**

 **Chapter 1: Not Now**

The bustle in the city was undeniable.

It grasped all in its wake and demanded attention.

He sat and watched it, sat and watched people, most of which he would never meet, passing in what seemed to be slow motion, floating amongst cracked concrete and erected monoliths and a labyrinth of winding streets trailing their vein bodies into the heart of the metropolis. Everyone's jobs beckoned them this morning and with unabashed fervor they scattered to their destinations, not far from a cockroach scuttle, fur and colors and tails entwining in impossible knots.

Species butted shoulders with species. Prey and predators passed mere feet from each other without issue. A dance unlike anything seen before. Each passing person, he knew, had experienced a tragedy of some kind in his or her life. Each one had sobbed, had thought of oblivion. It was a calming effect, this realization, that had a horrid implication, one he would often try and suppress into the crevices of his consciousness.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

Never let them see that they get to you.

This was the mantra that ran through his mind. This was the way to live. His fucked up past demanded it.

In a way, this very same bustle that fascinated him into contemplation festooned the area like a cancer, spreading forth and circumnavigating the homes of mice, deer, horses, bovines, vulpines, rabbits, and an ongoing multitude of species so large that it hurt too much to think about if you dared venture to do so. Lives upon lives. Story after story. A tragedy, a ripple of happiness, a death, a murder, and then nothing. It was the way of this world and it permeated and grew with the passing years, as did new ideas and cultures and a plethora of creations. But what could one expect from a melting pot? What could one expect from a place so perfect, a place so welcoming that every sect, species, and ideal rushed into the open arms of it and was embraced in a love-joy hug akin to a mother clasping her child? Clashing was bound to happen; in fact, it was inevitable. No one was safe from it, especially those who were deemed fit enough, courageous enough, or—in the case of the Zootopia Police Department— _foolish_ enough to take it steadfast.

And yet no one took notice to this. They lived their lives and metaphorically spat in the direction of the very entity that would come rushing to them to save their hides if the moment occurred.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

Fuckin' ignorant brutes.

This was often a thought of Nick as he sat in the police cruiser waiting for his partner. He couldn't help it. At the moment, he was idly twisting his iPhone in his hand after having browsed the internet on the latest political mockery that was taking place. His mind was a place he had often escaped to in the past, a habit he still cherished and practiced without indecision, and he couldn't avoid contemplating how complicated things were when a species interacted with another that had little to no characteristics, let alone empathy, for its counterpart.

It was now his constant way of life ever since deciding to serve himself for the better good. Sure, he had experienced such a phenomenon in his past, had endured what some would call "life altering" events, yet he could not shake the feeling that whenever he pulled over a mouse or rabbit or shrew that he was somehow exercising a predatorily dominance over them. Their looks (and the occasional tremble) were enough to validate this thought, and with looks sometimes came verbal jabs, and with verbal jabs came a new trait he had such difficulty adopting that he had at first questioned whether or not this was a line of work he could excel in: restraint. _Verbal_ restraint. Biting that fox tongue of his.

An ex-conman's bane of existence—the end of wit, the end of money.

He had loathed learning that skill.

It was his Achilles Heel.

The task had been arduous and harder than the weight training regimen he had gotten into while at the police academy, but he felt he had a good enough understanding of it now.

A smile suddenly crept on his face.

The brief memory of one of his first encounters with talkback rushed in his mind. Had it not been for his partner and her cool demeanor and quick intervention, he perhaps would not be sitting in this very vehicle waiting for the first beat of the day.

It was all because of her.

Always was.

Before he had time to relive the memory in detail, the driver-side door opened. A small, lithe figure plopped in the seat, hands filled with an order from the bakery across the road.

"Back," Judy said as she closed the door. Her tone radiated of jubilance, a trait undeniable to her character. It was something Nick looked forward to every day and was a perfect counter, a medicine in fact, to his nasty morning mood.

He was now back as well. Back in reality. He adjusted his aviators before speaking.

"Well-well, look who finally decided to grace us with her presence. Carrot-cake the sluggish." Nick pointed at his iPhone and continued with, "I got so tired of browsing through unsolicited fox-porn that I actually resorted to watching the latest Troth Tiger music video. Do you know the _boredom_ it took to do that? He _actually_ co-sung with Lil' Wayne. I almost killed myself." Judy giggled before handing him his requested egg breakfast bagel.

Nick continued. "Do you have _any_ idea how…how _horrid_ his auto-tuned voice is? It's a good thing I couldn't understand half the shit they were saying. I mean, do you feel the least bit sympathetic for me? C'mon, be honest." "Nope," she said, sticking her tongue out at him while unwrapping her wholewheat carrot bagel. She started the cruiser and in playful tone said, "I'll have you know _I_ stood behind an elephant the whole time who couldn't make up his mind, and I was nearly stepped on not once, not twice, but _three_ times, so, like, you know, shut up." Nick smiled.

"It wouldn't have been an issue," he said, shaking his head, "they could have scraped you up and used you for a—I don't know— _muffin_ recipe or something.

Squash-rabbit? Rabi-uffin? _Fluffin_!" Judy's brows furrowed and she managed to punch him in the shoulder, the bagel dangling from her two auxiliary incisors as she drove into the lane intersecting Hutchingson and Wolf Ave.

"Spoofith foth," she said, trying to talk past the bagel.

"I would say the usual back to you, but I didn't realize that growing up on a farm actually meant you were raised in a barn. Talking with your mouth full? What's next? You gonna' piss on the back seat later?" Nick jabbed his thumb, signaling the empty seats behind them.

Judy's eyes rolled. She took a bite from her bagel and followed that with a simple, "Fine, you win." Nick immediately made a fist pump as he chewed on his breakfast. "1-0, baby! Today's gonna' be good." "Yea," Judy said sarcastically. "Until I have to get your fuzzy butt out of a problem. Then it's point 1 for Hopps!" "Perhaps," Nick mused aloud, not half joking.

The morning beat he and Judy scoured was on the upper East side of Zootopia, an area called the Nocturnal District, which bordered Happytown and the Meadowlands. Having been monitoring the district for the past several months, both officers actually developed a well-rounded education of the various dealings and shady methods of making money that the darker side of the district aspires to make. Bats were a prime suspect when it came to illegal sonar-cage matches; aye-ayes hustled the newly synthesized drug "Haowl" and were more often than not involved with domestic calls; owls were the movers (or in this case flyers) and shakers of more difficult to obtain illegal substances, and the list went on and on. Each species had its own niche, its own way of attempting a successful deal or hit that would strike gold. Some were more successful than others and some simply didn't care enough to attempt it. And while Nick realized most registered citizens in the Nocturnal District were upstanding, were just trying to make a living like any other mammal in the metropolis, there were those who slithered through the cracks to make it harder for others and molded the prejudice into something real and objectifying for the rest. He could sympathize, better yet, _empathize_ with such a truism. It was his past life, after all. Thankfully, the morning beat was a cake walk for the two officers: nocturnal animals, for the most part, slept during the day. It would be the night shift they attended that would be the hard part, but that was for another time. Their beat was actually quite a sight for an individual who was not involved with nocturnal Animalia, and it never failed to send a chill up Nick's spine when he watched aardvarks and beavers and bat-eared foxes scuttling about the grid, gold skinned and glistening from hanging street lights and neon signs. Their eyes would glow sometimes and it had the faintest aura of a science-fiction epic. It was a walkingbreathing art piece, and he knew Judy felt the same, the way her purple eyes would occasionally bug from her head and her face slowly plaster over a small smile below her pink nose which was barely lit by the glowing of the radio. A country-rabbit making it big. It was charming to him, and he found himself thinking about her more and more since their partnership started six months ago.

It was positively intoxicating.

Nick shook this off.

No.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

"So," Judy started as if remembering something. "My mom and dad called me yesterday from their trip to London to see my sister, and guess what: she had her first _litter_!" Judy practically bounced from her seat after saying the last part.

Nick's eyes widened. "Hey-hey! Nice! Names? Pictures? Mushy quotes with goofy emotes?" Judy glanced down at her custom carrot-shaped Droid cellphone and handed it to Nick after swiping past several photos. He took the phone and looked at a picture that was a younger looking rabbit, a slightly brown and grey hue pattern covering her face, and a pile of what looked like 7 plump rabbit babies wrapped in blankets huddled around her chest. Their ears were amassed in a twist of tangled fluff and they all were sleeping, their heads pointed outward in an almost triangular shape with the upper most point being their barely identifiable noses.

The new half-lidded mother looked positively exhausted in the photo but was giving a weak thumbs-up to the camera and had a smirk on her face that was absolutely Hopps-esque. The babies were cream colored and appeared to have mixing colors of black to them, giving off somewhat of a clue as to what fur color the father had been.

"They're really…cute." Nick's eyes glanced over to Judy.

She had a face that bordered on smiling yet being annoyed.

"Har, har, you butt." Judy instantly snapped back to being overly joyful, "but really, look at them! What do you think?" "They really are gorgeous," Nick said with no sarcasm to his voice. "And _she_ … man…" Nick zoomed in on the photo before letting out a whistle, " _lucky_ father. I mean, realllly lucky father. What-a-catch. Yummy. Grade-A rabbit meat. You don't find that at the market…" Nick's grin turned into a slightly fearful expression, his eyes bugging out and his entire line of teeth showing, as he slowly glanced over at Judy to see what her reaction was, hoping he hadn't gone too far.

"Give me that!" she yelled, her small claws jutting for the phone. Nick quickly moved it aside toward the window.

"No, no…wait! Please! I implore you! Send me this photo." "You're such a _dick_!" Nick gasped and put a paw over his maw. "Language, Carrots!" Judy's annoyance, which may or may not have been half-real, faded. Her insusceptibility to be angry at the fox that sat beside her baffled her at times. He really did bring the best out of her. She was coming to realize this day by day.

"But really," Nick's voice softened, now devoid of any joking tone, and the next part poured out of him without going through his mental filter, "she is very lucky, and even though I haven't met her, I know she'll be a good mother if she's a Hopps." He could feel Judy's smile and was pleased to see that he was right in thinking that's what she was doing. He couldn't be sure, but it also looked like she had a slight blush on her face and the inside of her pink ears seemed tinted just a hue darker than normal. He smirked at this, but it didn't last long save for him being mistaken.

Without a word, he handed the phone back to her and she took it and placed it in her police uniform breast pocket.

"So, pawtnah, what's on the docket? We gonna' hunt down the latest moneyracket? We gonna' find that treasure trove of freshly packed Haowl?" Judy guffawed. "More like watch trash blow across empty streets." "Yea, that sounds fun too." "You think Bogo did this to us on purpose? Like as a punishment?" Nick gave this some thought and shrugged. "I don't know. It's been pretty slow lately. Maybe. I mean, it's not like we haven't gotten ourselves into a pickle before. I don't see how our latest debacle could be anything worse than what has happened before." " _Pickle_?! How about near- _beat_ -down, you blabbermouth!" "Hey, hey. Come on, _now_. I said I was _sorry_. I've been practicing _really_ hard at keeping my composure. Bogo can see this now. He's commented on it. This hide is thick now, not just sexy. No worries." Judy nodded with a smile. "Okay, I'll give you that. You have been better lately." "See!" Nick flashed a toothy grin, "And look at what I do for you! I go against my very nature to please you." "Please!" Judy rolled her eyes. "You do this because firing you is the next step.

That, or putting you at a desk." Nick put a paw over his heart. "I'm hurt, Carrots. You just cut me to the core." "Oh woe is the Great Nicholas Wilde," Judy mocked in a faux basso voice, images of her play-acting days coming to mind. The thought of Nick dressed in Shakespearian garb nearly made her burst into laughter.

"Okay, okay. Part of it is that the idea of sitting at a desk with papers piled up to my ears makes me want to go poopie." Judy giggled. "And the other part?" "Come again?" "You said 'part' of it is. What's the other part?" Nick gave thought to this. In a completely serious tone, he said in the simplest terms he could muster, "Well…you." Judy's ears stood straight up. She had a sudden serious look about her that showed she was going to take in everything that Nick said. "What do you mean?" she softly asked.

"Well…" Nick put a paw to the back of his head. "I mean, come on, we're partners. We're…the Dream Team. We…we work well together. It's fun, you know. _You're_ fun!" The same near-blush look she had before was resurfacing and Nick could see it for sure this time: fiery pink ears.

He took a chance to pry. "I mean don't you have fun too?" Without a moment's passing, Judy said, "Absolutely." "Well there we go. Now we agree 100%." "Let's not go that far," Judy said, putting a finger in the air. "More like 80%. I'll reserve the other 20 for when I'm trying to get you out of the newest and latest drama-fest." Nick made a gasp as if being stabbed and clutched his chest. "You sure know how to twist that blade, Hopps. Sick and disturbing. What on earth did those parents raise?" Judy raised one eyebrow and said in a somewhat coy tone, "Wouldn't _you_ like to know?" The friendly banter lasted for the better part of ten or so minutes as they continued making their way through the rear-to-rear traffic of the morning grind, snaking their way across town to their barren destination. Nick had come to realize in the past months that the more they got to know each other's personal lives, the more their conversations bordered on play-flirting, a fact he had trouble processing since the idea of doing so with a species deemed "prey" was basically a non-entity in the kingdom that encompasses Zootopia. Not that it was forbidden by law, but that it was literally something _un_ thinkable to most. At _best_ , it would be taboo. His harboring desire to do so with her was sketchy and exhilarating to him, and as someone who spent his entire life suppressing his emotions for fear of being found out, as someone who masked himself over and over again to make money and swindle and deal to the likes of those who did not want to see what you truly were, he had a deep desire to allow himself to cherish and wallow in a real, genuine emotion. The question was colossal and imposing, however: what exactly _was_ this emotion? He fought with it at times, wrestled with the implications, and he still could not come to any conceivable conclusion.

It twisted his stomach and made his heart thump. Goofy. Haughty. Exotic.

Experimental. Mysterious. He listed the adjectives in his mind, plucked through a vocabulary developed through wit and survival, and he could not find the right word. Was it bad to say that he didn't care that he could find it? Was it truly a crime to believe that instead of worrying about what others might think, he would rather just continue going on and flirting with this rabbit that sat beside him? No. Fuck that. Fuck them.

Again, the thought billowed into Nick's mind and swelled: Fuckin' ignorant brutes.

"They don't know what we have here," Nick whispered.

Judy's ear twitched.

"What was that?" "Huh?" Nick turned to her. "What?" "Didn't you just say something?" "Oh…" Nick put a claw to his muzzle and tapped it. "If I did, I don't know what I said. Just…musing I guess." "Stupid fox," Judy murmured with play still in her voice. "Can't even process his own words." A sheepish smile spread across Nick's bust. "Whatever, dumb bunny." The Nocturnal District greeted both officers with a lost landscape filled to the brim with tenement buildings uncomfortably close to one another; they seemed hunched against each other's backs, juxtaposed to thin alleyways where piles of trash sat upon one another like dead bodies and feral dogs rummaged through the contents, gnawing on yesterday's leftover dinner. No one appeared to be awake. It was a ghost town, a zoo for the dead. Stereotypes forced others to picture a filthy, trash heap mound of land, but, for the most part, everything else was fairly clean, from the nearby roundabout with the large Milkwood tree planted in the middle to the sidewalks leading to small well-kempt tattoo parlors and pubs and tiny getaway diners barely visible to anyone but the local eye. In a way, it was somewhat charming, picturesque even, had it not been for the occasional criminal situation that festered in the district's underbelly. The area reminded Nick of his ventures to the Western side of the state when he first aspired to be a con-man. It held a kind of rural, tight-knit feeling to it, which was surprising considering the immense city it was a part of. But then the memory of the shooting crept its way into his mind. The memory of the boy. Nick had to remind himself that this was just a façade within a façade. The truth was deep in itself. He saw this at night, as did Judy. Yes, the truth was deep within itself, and it was not pretty. This sudden want for examination caused Nick to rest the bottom of his maw against his hand as his elbow sat against the police cruiser door.

With a comfortability only two people who spend nearly every waking hour with one another could muster, Judy piped up with, "Hey, whatcha' daydreaming about, Slick?" It took a moment for Nick to answer, "Oh…oh nothing. Just…thinking about when I used to be out West. This place. It reminds me of a certain area, that's all."

"Was this when…well, you know. When you weren't a cop?" "Yep. In fact, it was when I just started out. Tiny little area. Everyone seemed to know one another. Privacy didn't seem to exist, at least that's the perception I got when I was there." "I bet that was hard for a con." Nick nodded. "Sure was. Got out of there pronto. But…I don't know…I kinda' missed it when I left. Strange. It was— Stopping midsentence, Nick thought he saw something happening in between a set of buildings, perhaps an exchange taking place or some other shady business, and Judy could see this in the way he suddenly jolted upward and twisted his head to the side, his ears perking in an alert state.

"Anything?" she asked, her cop voice immediately taking over.

"Naw," he responded. "My mistake. Keep going." After a lapse of time, Judy said more softly, "I know what you feel." "Hm? Oh. How so?" Her paw twisted on the steering wheel and she let up a little shrug. "You know, I mean I'm just a farm girl. I grew up in the place you're talking about.

Bunnyburrow has the exact same feeling. I…I can't help but miss it from time to time." Nick turned his head to Judy.

"You think you're ever going back?" The question hit Judy in more than one way. He could see this in her sudden facial expression of utter seriousness.

"You mean, like for _good_ …or…." "No, no. Well," Nick stopped, thinking this through, "I don't know… _yea_ , I guess.

Are you?" Nick nearly flinched at how sudden the last part of his sentence and tone had changed to nearly sounding depressed. Did she catch on to that? He glanced over at her.

She let out a breath of air. She had not given such a question thought, or at least she had never given it deep consideration.

"I don't _think_ so. I'll visit for sure, especially when I get some vacation time coming up here. On holidays and such. But…I don't know. I would be tossing all of… _this"_ —Judy waved her paw across the dead landscape— "away…" She glanced at Nick with a face that was on the verge of laughing. He took the bait and let out a chuckle, giving her permission to erupt into a tiny fit of giggles.

"I hear ya' loud and clear, Fluff" Nick said. He adjusted his shades and flicked his paw at the road. "Proceed, Great One." "No. But really…I don't know. I set out to be a cop. I'm living my dream in real time. I worked hard to get here. I can't imagine just _throwing_ that away because I got a little home sick. Plus, it's like you said: Dream Team, right?" Nick found himself nodding and said in a near whisper, "Dream Team." "Yea!" They exchanged a smile.

The pieces fell into place once again.

Just as quickly though, Nick's face faded into seriousness.

"Although," he started, "you could be a cop _in_ Bunnyburrow or closer to home, you know." He turned to find Judy's ears had dropped behind her back.

 _Shit,_ Nick thought. _Why the fuck do you do this?_ Rearrangement. Rearrange the pieces into your liking, Nick. Alter your dreams for yourself. This was the way to live. His fucked up past demanded it. He found it extraordinarily difficult to articulate why he would sometimes mentally pry into his partner's mind in an attempt to solicit a feeling of dread or concern or deep contemplation, but here he was, doing it once again. It was a routine at this point, a game of chess. By no means was it sadistic or even masochistic on his part, but it seemed to be a necessary action in order to fully understand the one and only true friend he had at this moment in his life. He couldn't deny the fact that he wanted to know more and more about her, wanted to know things that only her parents could pinpoint, wanted to know her fears and what got her angry and depressed so that he might say something in the future to alleviate her suffering even if it be as cliché or base as a joke or quip or even, on occasion, a made-up anecdote. As the months of their partnership blossomed, he often ran this through his mind, understanding that it was not the norm for him to be doing this with prey. Vulnerability went without being said when it came to predators and prey, but a true linking friendship, a _bond_ that dug deep and that's circumference was capacious, held little room to grow in the eyes of others. He couldn't help but feel as though this thought process was going beyond the bounds of what friends would do, though. It made him slightly uncomfortable to think too hard about what it all meant.

What was it leading to? No.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

He peered over to her and noticed she was about to say something. For the slightest of moments, what would be a fraction of a second, he imagined reaching out and touching her.

"I guess I could," she said. She sat in the silence of the vehicle, clearly deep in thought. She seemed more rigid, her paws tapping at the wheel, and finally she said, "Would you want me to go back?" Nick felt his answer was too quick, but he didn't care at this point, "No. Not at all. I already told you, I have too much fun with you. You make this job more fun than it already is for me. But…happiness is…" he stopped trying to phrase himself correctly, "happiness is largely based on individualism, right? I mean, if you spend the majority of your time dreaming about something else, why fight to maintain what you have? Wouldn't that just be…limbo?" Slowly, Judy nodded.

"I guess so…" she said in a whisper.

"But…I don't know… _do_ you find yourself dreaming about home more than you want?" Judy's ears were now not flopped as low as they had been, something Nick took notice to and felt a sense of relief in seeing.

"No more than anyone else who was away from home for nearly a year." "Good!" Nick blurted out. His bashful expression could not be hidden.

A sly smile began to inch its way across Judy's tiny lips. "Is Nicky getting…a little _worried_ that I might be abandoning him in this _wild_ and _dangerous_ city?" Nick chuckled. He found himself once again rubbing the back of his neck and fidgeting uncomfortably.

"C'mon, Fluff. I've owned this place in more than one way. I'm a walking, talking salesman. Suave. Smooth as silk." "That may be the case, but you know you'd miss me." There was a confidence to her tone, but in a way it almost sounded like a question.

"Would I?" Nick put a claw on his nose.

She gleamed with a smile and they both looked at each other.

"Yes, yes I would," they both said at the same time, laughing.

Nick sighed, and his mouth opened before he could stop himself.

"What can I say?" he started, "I'd jump from the frying pan and into the fire with you." He nearly blushed at confessing that. That was deeper than he wanted to go.

They sat, eyeing the strip for a while. The silence was overbearing. No one was moving in or out of the vehicle.

"Nick," Judy said.

"Yea?" he peered over to her. She looked as content as anyone could, a smirk on her face that could melt a serial killer.

"Thanks." "No problem, partner." They made idle talk for the duration of their Nocturnal District beat, winding through empty roadways to see the occasional animal walking down the street (a "day-owl" Nick would joke) and then cruised into the deeper part of the district where I-95 sat near the Crawler underground transit system, a series of looping railways that popped up in various locations of Zootopia as frequently as the Moles living in Savanna Central or Meadowlands. With this area came a strange intermixture of growth and pain for Nick and Judy. It was in this location that nearly a month and a half ago they had experienced their first shooting (or at least as close to one they have been involved with). The scene had ended in a fatality by the time they had arrived to the 131 call; no one had witnessed what had happened, but the aftermath was enough to make either of them appreciate the fragility of life. The kid, a Honey Badger, had been no more than sixteen years old and had been plugged four times in the chest with 9 millimeter rounds.

No movie or medium could encapsulate the reality and heaviness of the situation when they walked upon the body. It was a thing where you lost something deep inside yourself once put in the position of the realism it provided. The eyes were what killed the innocence for them. The eyes…open, glistening. A scream, in a way, that never ended. It had affected Judy so much that she had been put through a momentary cycle of police psychological help per Police Chief Bogo's request. True, it was routine for officers, but Judy felt she needed it. Nick was required to attend a session as well, much to his chagrin. It literally did nothing for him; in fact, most of the time he had spent talking about how he was worried about his partner, a fact that was written down feverishly on the psychologist's note pad. But Judy would later confess to Nick that what was privately talked about with her psychologist didn't help her and rather it was he and his consoling in the car or in the offices at the police department or on the sidewalk just outside her apartment that did the trick. His _silver-tongue_ , as she put it. That was the phrase she had used. Nick remembered his pride had gone at an all-time high after hearing that, and his appreciation for his partner had only grown stronger in the aftermath of the unexpected death.

It was a bond birthed from tragedy.

Nick turned to speak to Judy, but their duty had other plans.

The roaring could be heard first. It was a steady, low grumble—a motor seeming to push its limit—and then came the body.

In a flash, a car, what would appear to be a brown tinted Subaru of some type, rocketed past them, leaving a trail of dust behind it, shooting up the avenue they would turn onto moments after and barely made the twist onto the ongoing road at what could be no more than 30 over the speed limit. It caught both officers off guard for only a fraction of a second before Judy announced, "Light em' up" to which Nick responded by flicking the siren on, and the tiny rabbit, with her expertise in spatial maneuvering, sped through the street with dogged determination, making a quick merge onto the highway that the vehicle had traversed to. She weaved through other traffic with ease, managed to break through what would have been a partial clog, and then scooted through a patch of clear roadway. The 3.7 Liter Ford Cyclone V-6 whirred and screamed in plumes of horsepower as the Police Interceptor Utility had no trouble biting the ankles of the evacuee—he was by no means escaping the officers, they knew this. But he _had_ to stop. The safety of others was at a risk, not just the neglecting of a basic road tenet. Nick had the car clocked in at 105 and it was only trying to accelerate, still being a good forty or so yards ahead of them. By this point, the driver of the vehicle no doubt had enough time to see that it was being pursued and nick leaned his muzzle down to speak into the radio that hung on his breast pocket prepared to give the call in that a 10-80 was in progress. However, just as quickly as the event had started, it began to dissipate: the car's brake lights illuminated a hellish red and the Subaru Forest began to slowly decelerate yard by yard.

A cacophony of dust and debris scattered about behind it, some smacking against the windshield of the police cruiser.

"Careful," Nick said. "Careful. Might be fuckin' with us." "Yea," Judy agreed, the smallest of labors present in her voice from her minute lagomorph heart beating so fast.

She slowly ebbed the cruiser down to a moderate speed, attempting her best to mirror the vehicle ahead of them.

Both officers let out a sigh, thankful nothing more became of the event. The Subaru had finally come to a complete halt after pulling off to the side of the highway.

Judy did the same.

The dust had cleared and all was still.

Nick quickly ran the plates of the vehicle: Vehicle: Subaru Forester (2009) Plate No.: D40 C34J Registered Owner: Henry Grey Witmount Sex: M Species: Coyote Priors: - _Fuck_ , Nick thought.

As if Judy could discover his frustration from his blank facial features alone, she said in a calming tone, "Maybe he's not the driver." Nick shook his head. "I can see his ears. It's him." "You or me?" she asked with concern.

Nick took a deep breath.

"Me." "You sure?" Nick opened the door. "Follow suit," he said while adjusting his aviators and stepping out, "watch my back and follow suit." Judy exited the vehicle.

 _Predator_. This was it.

The tables were turned.

Predator.

The circle of life came full loop now and Nick had to keep his wits about him.

He kept his hand close to his side, resting just above his standard issue 9 millimeter GLOCK as he approached the vehicle, and without missing a beat, he leaned toward the window after seeing that the coyote had both of his grey and white faded hands atop the steering wheel, and then Nick said in an authoritative voice, "Morning, sir. License and registration please." The coyote wore black rimmed prescription glasses and was clearly some kind of office hound, sporting a tucked-in, plain, button-up long sleeve shirt and khaki slacks that were hugged by a jet black belt; tufts of white fur stuck from out of his collar and encircled his neck, which was thick and puffed due to his species coat, and he was undeniably agitated as seen by his upper muzzle which was nothing more than a row of incisors flashing in a grimace. His eyes scanned from Nick to Judy and then back to Nick. Taking a moment to examine the inside of his vehicle, Nick could see nothing out of the ordinary, at least in the sense of criminal activity: a half-filled coffee cup was in the middle console, a newspaper lay on the floor of the passenger side, and a brown briefcase lay atop the seat next to the driver. Nick felt a wash of distress. There was something uneasy that stirred in his head the more he looked at the coyote; it was perhaps the way his ears connected to the scruff around his neck or the slightly crooked nose that endlessly flared with anger or the deep brown eyes, and as he kept taking in each set of features, Nick finally realized it was that this animal, while not the correct species, had a striking resemblance to what his mother used to describe while intoxicated as Nick's abandoner father.

 _No_ , Nick thought. He could actually feel himself shaking his head.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

"I'm _late_ for work," the coyote grumbled. His deep voice was scratchy and unwelcoming.

"Sorry to hear that, sir. But, I still have to ask you for your license and registration." "This is a bunch of _shit_! I'm just… _late_!" The driver's fists bunched up on the steering wheel.

"And I won't keep you here very long, sir. I just need to conduct some business.

As soon as I see that license and registration, we can move on." The coyote shook his head, threw Nick another glare, and produced the documents. Nick quickly eyed them over to make sure they were valid dates.

He then glanced back up at Henry.

A snapshot of Nick's mother laying on the kitchen floor in tears permeated in his head and dissolved as quick as it came. A feeling of confusion. A fear boiling in the stomach. Child-like doom. She had sobbed words to him, a phrase he will die with.

These too vanished.

Judy, who was on the other side of the vehicle at this point, watched with concern on her face, but tried her hardest to stick to the situation and not let personal feelings intervene.

"Okay, Mr. Witmount. We had you clocked in at 35 over the speed limit. That, and you were speeding in a pedestrian area just inside the Nocturnal District.

That's a pretty hefty ticket, sir. I'll have it for you in a moment." "C'mon, this isn't fair!" "And you can contest this if you'd like, sir, at a judicial court of law. If you truly feel like it isn't fair, take it up with the judge and get it overturned." "Where do _you_ get off?" Henry said in a near shout. "Fuckin' _fox_ trying to _fish_ for me? Are you fishing!? Is that what this is!? How many others were speeding back there? _Every_ one!" Nick shook his head. "Sir, you made it very clear yourself you didn't want to abide by the speed limit. No, we are not, as you say, _fishing_." Nick continued filling out the ticket, but couldn't help himself. Without looking up, he let ooze from his mouth, "Although…if you would like to let me know where this fishing hole is, I can get us a couple poles." Judy stifled a snicker that barely managed to escape her mouth. It was quick, and her professionalism returned without hesitation.

"What a goddamn joke," Henry said. "A fuckin' _fox_ cop! What do _you_ plan on doing exactly!?" "I'm just giving you your ticket, sir." "You tryin' to size me up? Is that it? I don't have to take this shit from you!" "Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down. I'll have your ticket for you, and then you can leave. You don't need to take your anger out on me. You were the one speeding." The coyote huffed and the loaded up for the big one: "You're nothin' but _red meat_ , is all," he sneered.

Fighting words.

Canine dominance.

The moment shifted and everyone could feel it.

Nick's pen stopped scribbling. His dagger eyes, piercing and deadly, shot up to the coyote. Everything seemed to slow down at this very moment. Deep green pools, endless and all-encompassing—these eyes, the seers of pain, forever unending, were millions of years in the making, an evolutionary trait so imbedded in his fur that he could not help but let them be known to this harassing driver as a show of primal dominance because it was here in this animal kingdom that the weak were trudged upon and chaos ensued. No warnings, no mercy. He saw it every day. And now it was here. He slowly took off his aviators and the driver, seeing that Nick looked even more serious than he had before, even more serious than the coyote thought initially thought possible, only slightly recoiled with the faintest of jerks with his head when he stared into the eyes of the vulpine. They were hypnotizing. They breathed a past of destruction and street-toughness and torment. Like a silent battle for territory, like animals feeling one another out and then declaring victory, the coyote had just raised the white flag with that tiniest of recoil motions. He had just let Nick know that he would keep his maw closed.

Broken furniture clouded Nick's mind. A whisper. A jerking motion.

A phrase he would die with.

It would take a simple swipe of his claw to disfigure the coyote sitting before him. Nick knew that's all it would take.

His hand, which was on the verge of trembling with unfettered rage, rose, but all it did was hold out the ticket for Henry. No swipe. No retribution. Cool and calm, like Judy had said in the past.

Think of Judy.

Henry gently grabbed the ticket, keeping his eyes pinned on Nick's, and then turned his vehicle on.

"Good day, officer Wilde," he said in a monotone voice.

"Good day, Mr. Witmount," Nick repeated in just as colorless of tone.

The Subaru Forester took off with modesty and with it the speeder. Without looking at Judy, Nick walked back to the police cruiser and she followed suit, just as Nick had requested. She looked very pleased, although there was a slight wash of concern as seen by her nose involuntarily twitching, the whiskers gently flowing in the slight morning breeze.

Nick tossed his pen into the middle console and ruffled his scruff with his paws.

He sat in silence, contemplating what had just occurred. His aviators were now hanging on the collar of his shirt and he rubbed his paw over his forehead as if a headache was brewing.

"Nick…" The voice was velvet soft. His medicine.

"Yes, Carrots." He felt a small and delicate hand lay against his shoulder and gently squeeze it.

He looked over to see his partner leaning toward him, her face gentle and accommodating.

"I'm _so_ proud of you." He looked down to his lap and nodded.

"You couldn't have done _any_ thing better. You kept your cool. He was a complete ass, and you beat him. You beat him by doing the right thing." Nick sighed. He patted Judy's paw with his own, a gesture he hadn't quite thought out but did nonetheless. She welcomed it without a glimmer of hesitation.

"Thank you." Her paw left Nick's shoulder and her smile caused Nick to try and adopt his own.

It was hard, but he managed it.

Judy, now pleased more than ever, started the police cruiser and they took off to continue their route.

The rest of the shift proved to be fairly lackluster with the exception of four or so other traffic stops and a run-in with a human hitchhiker, whom they had the grace enough to transport to the nearest district, and during most of that time, the two best friends returned to their talking, jesting, and in some cases play-flirting, the latter which pleased Nick the most. They recounted the time Nick nearly sprayed mace all over his own face after having first been introduced to the concept of using such a device, and then when Judy, during a physical training session, kicked the living shit out of Samuel McKendry, a wolf colleague with a pension for exercising and the one officer everyone at the station could say for sure has a borderline unhealthy competitive spirit. They laughed during their reminiscing at how she had received a barrage of hoots and hollers after taking him to the ground, and it wasn't until after the battle that she was called Firecracker Hopps by some of the other co-workers. As these memories were relived, as they gave each other jabs and little smirks and nicknames only two close friends could, Nick had to fight the urge to go deep, to go back to the place where it all started. But the thought was there. It just couldn't be flung away. It had been the coyote that spurned this urge on—the coyote doppelganger of his long gone father, a man in which was cloaked in enigma and mystery and regret.

It hurt him deeply to think that there were things in his head that occasionally chipped away at his foundation and have still succeeded even after 24 years; they were things he had never had the pleasure of discussing openly with any other animal, even Finnick or Judy, and the bottled up negative energy was stinging at times.

The thumping of the cruiser making its way through the Zootopia Police Department indoor parking lot jolted Nick back to his body. He could see other officers exiting their vehicles, some entering to leave for the night shift, and among these were groups of people he considered semi-friends, notably Marcus Fields, a tall and somewhat bulky Siberian Husky with cool blue almond shaped eyes and a nearly snow white muzzle save for the triangular grey and black pattern of fur that edged down nearly in between his black eyebrows. He was chatting with a group of officers he normally socialized with, two being humans, and as the cruiser passed them, he gave Nick and Judy a quick two finger raise in a gesture of greeting. Nick replied back by doing the same, briefly contemplating whether or not he would be coaxed into an outing of some kind tonight; their shift would switch to "night crawler" as of Monday and they had all of the next day to fend off any hangovers or mentally squash mistakes made throughout the party hours. While Marcus made it his business to invite Nick to various outings and would consistently make idle talk while in the precinct, he was met with half-and-half of those requests. Nick simply had a difficult time letting people in his life—his past experiences and past profession deemed it necessary to do so, a fact he has come to conceive not so true in the force. Kinship and brotherhood to your fellow police family required closeness; without it, you may end up dead. It was a difficult thing to explain to anyone, but he felt Marcus of all animals (excluding Judy) understood.

As the car came to a halt in their designated parking spot, Nick let out a sigh.

"Score?" he said, fatigue cloaking his voice.

"6-4… _Nick_ ," she said in imitated disappointment.

Nick just nodded, a feign smile on his muzzle.

"But," she started, "I think after your marvelous performance this morning, we can count that as 10." "16-4, huh?" Nick chuckled.

"16-4." They looked over at each other and were silent. There was something in the air, something that built upon itself perpetually. It could be felt by either and they did not know what it was, but it was acknowledged in the muteness of the vehicle through their eyes. It was acknowledged in the way they did not feel awkward sitting with nothing else to say. But as always, it dared not evolve. The keys jangling from Judy's paws were what cut through whatever was happening.

"So…" she began, "I know you look tired, and so am I. It's okay if you help me out with those book cases some other time." "No. No, it's okay. I'm fine. I'll be there right after I change. Just wait for me in the lot." "You sure?" "Yes. I'll count it as my work out for the day." "Okay," Judy smiled.

She opened the door and got out of the cruiser.

"Oh, and Nick," she said.

"Yea?" "You really did do a fantastic job today. You weren't kidding when you said you were working on being better. I was so impressed." He pointed two fingers at her like pistols and make a clicking sound with his tongue. "Thanks, Carrots." She giggled and closed the door before making her way to the offices where she would get washed up and discard her uniform.

Nick sat for a long while in the car and thought of implosion. He thought of how easy it would be for someone else to take another life and how easy it would be for someone to abandon another animal. His trepidation of closeness, he now knew after thinking over for so many years, was all thanks to one individual, one individual he still could not concretely imagine other than hearsay. It had left a family in tatters and resulted in a single mother spending half of her life searching for answers in the pleasures of drugs, alcohol, and spontaneous sex. It had brought with it little guidance for a young vulpine, and so he had to create his own dreams. He had to rearrange the pieces to his liking. And these pieces, now, were not fitting together so smoothly. There was only one thing in his life at this moment that brought him a sense of completeness, and it was no longer in the car.

Not Now.

Deeper.

Down there. Now.

Nick obeyed and looked down at his clasped paws and they slowly opened. The world seemed to swallow him whole at that very moment.

A flash of his mother laying on the kitchen floor in tears.

A phrase he will die with.

In the darkness of the room, as Nick had sat at the top flight of stairs, she had cried out though sobs, "In the end, we're all left with nothing."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: She Can Hang**

The chatter in the locker room was loud and brash. It sounded like the inside of a hollow skull with reverberations, echoes, and stale tones filtering everything.

Everyone stood in an area of furbished cream white, an interesting contrast to the mass of different bodies and fur colors that shifted and maneuvered out of their blue clothing while being illuminated by blazing artificial lights. It almost looked like a mix up at the water hole, as if ten different groups of species accidentally stumbled upon one another and were shifting side by side for space, but this was different in that there was no animosity, no one-upmanship, just a simple desire to shed their working skins and leave as soon as possible for a festive evening.

The night was young, after all. While it was not an area that one would relax in for too long, the locker room itself was what anyone could expect from a top notch law enforcement department: double-door lockers (each fitted with a padlock) aligned the room in wall-to-wall fashion; a single slide-out bottom cubby, which was only accessible via a small key, hunched below its taller brother in case someone wanted to separate shoes from clothing; a clean, overhanging wooden bench set itself in the middle of the room for tired asses and aching legs; and a row of walk-in showers of varying heights situated rather uncomfortably in the back corner, where they would try to wash themselves so that the smell of stink wouldn't permeate them for too long. It all looked extremely official, as it should have. Top of the line for the top of the force; the gift that the tax payers kept on giving.

Nick stood next to his own opened locker and unbuttoned his uniform. He was lost deep in thought, pondering why the simple act of helping Judy move furniture this evening made him excited, so much so that his lethargic state of mind seemed to dissipate entirely. In _her_ apartment. _He_ would be in _her_ apartment. That thought alone sent a shiver up his spine. He slipped off his shirt, revealing an upper torso toned from an academy that demanded physicality. Ever since joining the force, Nick found himself gaining more and more muscle definition from the required workouts he was expected to undergo. Hitting the gym four days out of the week put him in good stance with a more than healthy lifestyle, especially since his typical vulpine diet of eggs, steaks, and lean meat was normally consistent. In all honesty, his exercise regimen, something that started out as a simple "going through the motions" activity, was now an enjoyable luxury. He saw it as a timeframe in which he could clear his mind and set himself into a pleasant state of Zen, a time where he didn't have to ruminate about the worries of the world.

Sometimes he would exercise alone, other times with friends, and even on occasion with Judy. Had someone told him years from now that he would look the way he did, he would have laughed it off and called the mammal insane. But here he stood, nearly twelve pounds heavier and in all the right ways.

A certifiable "stud" as some girls would say.

He smirked at the time when Judy accidentally commented on this fact and nearly burst from being embarrassed. She had tried to play it off, like she meant something else, which Nick ridiculed her about for a good half of the day until she broke down with another "you win." _Emotional rabbit,_ Nick thought.

But this new version of him—this chiseled Nick—was somewhat conflicting.

Hard as it may be for some to imagine, especially those who knew him during his conmammal phase, vanity was not a major component in his lifestyle: he exercised, he ran, and he aimed at improving all aspects of his physical prowess because, in his new line of work, if he didn't, he might end up beaten to a pulp, or worse.

While it may be hard for anyone to imagine him being anything other than overly confident in himself, it was not his true nature. It was a necessity. It was a defense mechanism built up from years upon years of swooning customers into thinking they hit the jackpot; it was a shield, a barrier, a wall he had built around himself to obtain power over those he felt insecure around; and it was an escape route, one he maneuvered his way through when presented with a situation that might have killed him. Violent he was not, until provoked of course. And this is what fooled so many mammals when he first arrived. Before them, they saw this fast-talking clown of a fox, gadabout and suave. But deep down…deep within the void… something stirred. It wasn't until _the_ training session—the session that brought everyone into a state of complete shock—that proved he was one of the deadliest officers on the force.

Bogo would know.

An explosion of conversation suddenly erupted from over Nick's shoulder. He glanced behind him to see what the ruckus was about and was not the least bit surprised at what he found. It was Officer Catlahan, yet again, spewing his latest: "And so, I fuckin' tell the guy, 'Get outta hea!' Ya know, but he's gaht this look. Kinda like a cross between the walkin' dead and a junkie. And he keeps fuckin' comin' at meh. Like, just traipsing along, inchin' his way at meh. I'm thinkin' he's coked out, buzzed, whatevah. And meanwhile, to my right, there's this girl hea. Ya know, cracked out, totally off her rocker, nearly hanging onto Marcus for dear life, and she's fuckin' telling meh I gotta' take her to the precinct cause she's gonna' end up _dead_. This is what she says. 'Gonna' end up dead'. Said she's gaht some _spooks_ after her. So, I says, 'Where's the black guys, ma'am,' but she's like 'No, sir, that's not what I meant. Demons!' Said that _demons_ were chasin' her, the crazy bitch. I say, 'What demons, honey?' and she looks me dead in the eyes, serious as my ma's cancer, and says 'the Howlers, man. The Howlers are comin' ta get me.' And this fuckin' guy's _still_ comin' at me! Stupid _newt_ wants himself to get shot! I swea, I fuckin' swea, I shouted out to that guy _five goddamn times_. I thought, 'Shit, we got another fuckin' suicide-by-cop story comin' out. Get the presses ready! Silva Slithers'll be dissecting how shitty of a precinct we are on her _milk toast_ show, the bitch!'" A small eruption of chuckles crackles around the conversation.

Catlahan is on a roll and is no holds barred.

"So," he continues, "Marcus tries to, you know, calm the chick down. He's tryin' to get her to cool off, and she's grabbin holda him, yankin' on his pants. Like _tuggin_ ' and shit, you know? I swea she had a serious cravin' for _dog-dick_! Ha-ha! ' _Sneaky—little—hoe_ ,' I'm thinkin'. And Marcus is so fuckin' spazzed out from all this he's like dropping to his knees to try and get lower than her, and she's droppin' lower too so they do this, like, weird voodoo drop dance and now I'm fuckin' laughing my balls off! They're practically rollin' around on the ground, he's got her hands in his, and she's _still_ tryin' to grab his red rocket. He's gyratin' his hips backwards and she's givin' him a fuckin' handjob on the pavement! And all the while, I'm forgettin' this _desert rat_ —this _junkie_ —is comin' at me still like a zombie. I look up and our _dicks_ are practically touching! I coulda' kissed the fucker!" Everyone is rolling, the laughs erupting in firework bursts. Nick's chuckling grabs ahold of Marcus, who looks embarrassed at the moment, but is still in good spirits, especially at how his partner's thick New York accent, which seemed to come off the front of his teeth, illustrated the story with a pizzazz only he could pull off.

Nick couldn't help but admire the natural charisma Thomas Catlahan had with an open room; it reminded him of himself whenever he got on his own verbal tirade or when he used to gather entire crowds around him to buy homemade cotton-candy swirl sticks before moving to Zootopia. Truth be told, Thomas was an interesting specimen and had somewhat of a vibrant history: one of the few Margay officers on the force and sitting at 34 years of age. He was a native of Zootropolis who previously served on their police force for the better part of six years before eloping to Zootopia with his longtime girlfriend. He'd been through a heavy grind during his last two years served back at his original home city, having been shot twice on two different occasions and stabbed once by a drunkard during an attempted B&E. He was a good cop, level-headed, but overly bold and possessed little to no filter. On their beat, Marcus called him the "unlucky lucky charm." And he was right in doing so: every so often they would have a bizarre ordeal occur just like the one Thomas had the entire room roaring about. Typical to what one would imagine a hardboiled officer of his species to look like: he was immensely tall, of pure pedigree, and exhibited a thick, light brown coat that seemed both soft and fluffy.

"So, what happened next?" Dominic, the literal elephant in the room, says.

"Shit!" Thomas puts a leg up on the bench, his red and white polka dot boxers hiking up to reveal a bushy upper leg. "We threw their asses in the cruiser. Booked 'em. The guy passed out. They was just crazy. I tried gettin' the girls number so Marcus could throw her a bone, but I think she had enough fun with em'." Marcus chucked a towel at Thomas's face before yelling out, " _Enough_ , Catlahan! Jesus!" Everyone laughed.

The event lingered for only a few moments before dying down as each officer returned to shedding their uniforms and putting on their street clothes. Other conversations began bubbling in the background.

Marcus, a smile still spread across his muzzle, turned to Nick. "Yo, Nick."

"Sup." Nick turned around and looked at the smiling Siberian Husky.

"Hey, man. Me and some guys are goin' to the Black Raven for drinks. You wanna' hang?" Nick had a brief look of contemplation on his face. "Kind of embarrassing to say, but I don't think I know the place." "Ah, it's a pub down by 47th & Meadow. Like, near the Plaza Shopping center. You can barely see it. Small little dive. Good microbrews. Pretty chill vibe."

"Cool…" Nick trailed off.

"Yea, man. Thomas and I are going. So's some other guys. Some girls who are friends with Amy are going too. You should come down if you want. We're headin' there after we leave here."

Nick fitted himself through a plain black t-shirt. "Sounds fun. But…I'll probably meet you guys there later. I have to help Judy first. She's got…" Nick stopped for a moment, bending over to slip his pants on, "...she's got some furniture and shit she can't move. You know them rabbits—just tiny little things." A voice, not quite below a whisper, slithered toward Nick from several body lengths to his left and then coiled its way into his highly sensitive ears: "Bet that's not _all_ she has trouble moving around when he gets there." In something akin to a scene straight from a high school drama flick, it appeared Nick wasn't the only one who caught on to the joke because several nearby officers let out a fairly impetuous set of snorts and "'ooh's", their eyes scanning back and forth to see how the situation would pan out. Nick crooked his head to the left, halting the latching of his belt, to find that Alexander Moreau, a meshed colored Mexican Wolf, was snickering with an equally grey, cream, and black swirled Indian Wolf, Derek Oppelt. The two were well known for their shenanigans.

"Hey, hey. Careful, Moreau," Thomas piped in. He jutted a thumb toward Nick in reference to him. "Hopps'll just sic The Beast on you and yer' finished! One-and-done, baby! You'll be Bogo numba' two on his list!" Marcus chuckled good naturedly, a slight sheen of concern on his face in not knowing how Nick would take the joke.

"Well…" Nick said, beginning to latch his belt, "I always did wonder how smooth wolf pelts felt like. Carpet-soft, I hear. Although, with yours, Alex, I might need to soak it in _Raid_ first before it goes on my floor." The joke—or at least what everyone perceived as a joke—was met with a wave of laughs.

"Alright, man," Alexander said, nodding. He pointed two claws at Nick. "Touché."

"You going to the Raven too?" Nick asked.

"Yea."

"Well, maybe I'll just whoop your ass there instead," Nick said clasping his hand over Alexander's shoulder.

"C'mon, Wilde. I'm just bustin' yer' balls, man." Alexander was still smiling, but it was one of those looks that stank of slight fear. After all, he had been present during _the_ training session. In fact, Bogo had nearly fallen onto him when Nick had proven himself.

"I know, I know, Moreau," Nick said with a smile and a nod. His voice had no underlying implications behind it; in fact, he seemed quite amused himself. To reassure that Alexander knew this, he said, "The busting is mutual, my mammal." They gave each other a friendly fist bump and squashed whatever perceived animosity may have been brewing.

Nick turned to Marcus. "I'll meet you guys after my errand."

"Okay," he said, and then as if having an epiphany, burst out with, " _Hey_! Bring her too!"

"Yea?"

"Dude, totally!"

Nick raised an eyebrow. "You do realize I'll probably have to carry her out on a stretcher. Rabbits aren't entirely known to have bodies built for too much drinking. I mean, you remember Clawhauser's birthday party, right?"

Marcus laughed at the reminder, deciding to not mention out loud when he secretly saw an utterly plastered Judy try and hop onto Nick's lap and latch his scruff with her tiny hands. "Ah, c'mon man! Hopps and Wilde? In the Raven? Shit's gonna' get _all_ fucked up!"

"I don't know…" Nick tittered, "that's a lot of negatives in one room. We might tear open a black hole."

"Seriously, man. You guys should come."

"Alright," Nick nodded, "I'll see if she wants to."

"Sweet!" Marcus gave a friendly slap against Nick's shoulder. "See you there."

Nick finalized packing his items in his duffel bag, said his goodbyes, and then exited the locker room. He swerved into the commons and then navigated through the halls of the Zootopia Police Department offices, giving waves and hellos to the various staff members he recognized and even to those he did not know very well on a personal basis—every day-shift member seemed to be abandoning their stations, grabbing bags, purses, and exchanging positions with those who would be the overseers of the twilight hours. He noticed Benjamin Clawhauser, the obese cheetah receptionist and radio dispatcher, putting away in his bag what looked like a box of sprinkle doughnuts, and they gave one another a wave of recognition—Benjamin being the one to flash a massive set of fangs in what appeared to be overjoy like his typical self—before Nick turned down another hall. He pushed through the metal doors of the indoor parking lot and headed over to the reserved staff section where Judy's pickup waited, contemplating how amusing it was—ironic even—that the tiny, mostly soft-spoken partner whom had difficulties maneuvering large pieces of furnishing was so fixated on driving massive vehicles. It was her modus operandi in a way.

There were many things he learned about her he had not come to initially realize during their Howler incident, specifically about her designation of driving (her dogged insistence even) stemming from her prior experience of working day in and day out with carrot farming equipment as a child: rising at dawn to graze tractors across rich soil, cruising four-wheelers to gather tools for her father, or even, on a rare occasion, manipulating a backhoe to dig holes for irrigation were only several instances of her having no fear of operating machinery. If it could be driven, she could drive it. If it was large, she projected no fear. She was raised to be self-reliant, after all, a trait that no doubt put her in good stance with the department, but…set a bookshelf in her way and _oh boy_. Call for backup. How on earth could that small rabbit, an exercise machine, a fighter under pressure, a farm girl used to manual labor, even…manage…to…move…a… Nick nearly stopped in his tracks.

 _Wait a second,_ he thought.

He hadn't quite given enough scrutiny about what Judy's task for him was. Push furniture. Furniture. Was that _it_? Book shelfs, right? There had to be a clause to what she had asked, some kind of fine print he wasn't aware of. He had been so overjoyed to help her that he didn't bother thinking through what it meant for— "Ahem!" Nick's buzzing mind halted.

He looked over to see Judy standing near her driver side door. She was dressed in light blue form fitting jeans and her torso hugged a blue and white checkered long sleeve button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her forearms, reminding Nick of the first time she embraced him while in tears; it had been a bittersweet moment for either of them, but a revelation had followed soon thereafter, one that changed the course of their lives for the better. Her figure was thin, even her chest, but she was accentuated in a way that could not be ignored in the sense that she was curved yet lithe, a trait predetermined by her species; however, she pulled it off exceptionally well. It was a truism Nick could not ignore: she looked _good_ to him right now, something he could not entirely rationalize, but he didn't fight it either, and it didn't help any that with his sensitive olfactory glands he picked up the smell of her fur conditioner from where he stood. It was fruity and sexy and fit her bubbly face and soft features. She had one hand resting on her side and in mock impatience was rapidly tapping her right foot which happened to be half clad in a more casual style of material protector similar to her footwear she wore while on the clock.

"Nicholas, tardy yet again," she said.

Nick gave her his signature smirk.

"Hey, now, _Judith_ ," he started, "First: no one has called me that since my mother got me in trouble for throwing a football through her backdoor screen. Second: just because a _certain_ little rabbit spent her whole life waking up at hours that would drive a monk to commit Hara-Kiri doesn't mean we _all_ are good at it!"

"Oh, please!" she waved him off, hopping up the foot step to open the driver side door, "I thought you _forgot_."

Nick made his way around the passenger side of the pickup, opened the door, tossed his duffel bag in the back, and jumped in the seat. He turned to Judy. "Forget? Me? I'm _hurt_. While I may not be the best at waking up, I damn well know how to prioritize my tasks, Ms. Hopps. You can bet your cotton tail on that."

"For your information, I value my tail. So…I won't take the risk." With a thunderous roar, the vehicle came to life and Judy steered it from the parking lot into the flowing stream of metal and exhaust that was Zootopia Main Street.

Nick could see a plethora of citizens from all walks of life rummaging about through the grid, from teenagers to club aficionados to homeless beggars —now seemingly darkening blobs shifting up and down like rippling waves, each veering off into different destinations; the hustle and bustle that he first fell in love with when he entered the city border so many years ago. His ears momentarily perked up, picking up the radio which was softly playing a tune that he could not decipher, but it sounded somewhat poppy, true to Judy's taste in music even though he has heard her on occasion listen to a variety of different genres, many of which she has tried to get him invested in. He nearly chuckled at remembering her insistence that he listen to Stevie Nicks and how he had her doubled over in a fit of laughter when he tried imitating the musician's lyrics. He turned his attention to the focused driver. "So, got your fur in a tangle over some pieces of wood I hear," he said, tapping the black claw of his index finger against the door.

Judy had a bashful look on her face. "Actually, these pieces of wood somehow made a union and built themselves a fortress. So, it's a little more than that."

"I see."

"I've got a mountain of books with no home. It's kind of embarrassing, actually. It would put the Leaning Tower of Pisa to shame."

Nick snickered. "Let me guess: police manuals and law books."

"Of course."

"The complete William Gibson collection."

"My inner-nerd."

"Dictionary and thesaurus for paperwork and such."

"That goes without being said, Sir Nicholas."

Nick tapped his chin with his claw. "Oh, and let's not forget those lovely trashy romance novels I sometimes see you hiding around your desk."

"Hey, as much as you make fun of my tomboyish tendencies, a girl's gotta' act like a girl _some_ times!"

" _Does_ she, now?"

"Yes!"

"And you just, what—choose to do this at your leisure?"

"When I'm not being _harassed_ by a shady fox? Why, yes!"

Nick put both hands behind his neck, satisfied.

Judy shook her head. "You know what? I think I talk _waaay_ to you too much for you to know all that stuff about me."

"Or," Nick said, putting his finger in the air, "I'm just a fabulous listener and digest so much information."

Judy giggled. "Maybe _both_."

"Maybe…"

Nick turned his smile toward the window, glancing out at the darkening buildings that towered over the exhausted setting sun.

"Come to think of it," Judy started, "I couldn't name one thing you read because I never have seen what your place looks like…"

Nick felt his heart skip a beat. It was a sudden phenomenon—quick, jolty, and voracious—but it was not so much the feeling that perturbed him rather than the cause of it. In the very same moment, he felt silly for the sudden change in his body chemistry; this was just conversation, after all, and she was well beyond the bounds of what any creature like himself could imagine pursuing. But he couldn't help but feel a sense of a hidden agenda on her part. She sounded as if she was just musing out loud…then why did he feel as though it was a loaded statement, a self-invitation of sorts? Did she want him to ask her to go to his place? Was it mere curiosity? Suddenly, Nick decided to do something unorthodox. He decided to take a risk. He allowed himself to not set up that emotional wall he was so used to constructing…to not talk to his inner self, to not tell it to go deeper or rearrange the pieces into his liking, and it made his breathing slightly alter when he let his mind wander and imagined her figure walking in his abode. She would scan through the kitchen, bathroom, _bedroom_. He would stand behind her and watch her every move, her every graceful step, and she would turn and give him this look. It was something only they both would understand, something only they would connect. This look. A thing riddled with longing. She would brush against him with her arm. She still smelled of her conditioner.

As if awoken, he suddenly realized his finger was rapidly tapping against the door so loudly that Judy turned to look at him. Then it just hit him. _Holy shit_ , his mind screamed. _I was just fantasizing about a rabbit._ He quickly broke the silence as to not give her any ideas of what was going on. "Well," Nick started, clearing his throat, "Little Miss Fluff is always in such a hurry every morning that I normally burst from my apartment in a panic and dress in the hallways while on the way down. So, you know, sorry we can't stick around so that I give you the _grand tour_. By the way, you should hear the _screams_. Poor old Mrs. Dickenson; I could've swore she nearly died from a heart attack this Thursday after seeing my boxers."

Judy tapped her watch. "And look what _all_ this circles back to."

"Oh, _my_ fault?"

"Punctuality."

"I'm a fox who used to make his own hours."

"Pssh. Excuses."

"I work hard!"

"Lame."

"I give it my all?"

"Desperate," she said in a sing-song voice.

Nick waved her off. "Goddammit. Fine. You _win_."

Judy pumped her fist.

Nick had a look of pure disgust splayed on his face. "I hope your happy with yourself," he oozed.

"I am!" she stuck her tongue out at him.

"Dumb bunny."

"Stupid fox," she cooed.

Nick sighed and shook his head before asking aloud, "What is this monster I've created?" And the only response from the other side of the vehicle was a smile only the pupil of a sly fox could muster.

Evergreen Glades was constructed as a 15-story art deco apartment complex slightly on the Eastern side of Zootopia; it was well kempt, an undeniable upgrade from Judy's previous living conditions (especially in regard to room space), and boasted an exterior aligned with tall shrubbery and small black lampposts. 'Homey' was the only proper term that came to mind when examining its features; in fact, it had an old-town vibe to it, almost something one would associate with some small seaside village home. It fit Judy's personality perfectly and took a mere ten minutes of researching on her phone to find after making the decision that she needed more space. It rested comfortably in the vicinity of the Zootopia Police Department and was at a close enough distance from Nick's living quarters that she didn't have to put up too big of a fight with morning traffic to pick him up. She recalled the move from Grand Pangolin Apartments as being an arduous task for her, one she was thankful involved the help of Nick's strength, and while on a rare occasion she missed the banter from Bucky and Pronk, her newfound privacy was a luxury she was not ready to discard. The fact that she could now talk to her parents via FaceTime without hearing background commentary was a breath of fresh air.

But the move _had_ been difficult.

Remembering the beginnings of the transition and how accommodating Nick had been with gathering her materials and hauling them down and up and down and up again from one building to another made her smile. He had helped her get rid of the more unnecessary items lugging around her old apartment and made the journey fun rather than a job, prodding her with jokes along the way, one of the many things about him since their blossoming friendship she has come to appreciate. His charisma was unmatched in her eyes. He was a natural speaker, welcoming and warm. And as she sat in her apartment watching Nick once again help her out, shifting the large bookshelf into its proper position, she was reminded once again as to why she liked spending so much time with him.

He made her feel good.

He made her feel welcome.

They just seemed to fit together.

The apartment she resided in was 930 square feet and consisted of four interconnected rooms: the most spacious area, her living quarters, connected with an open kitchen packed with cool chrome lined lights, vegetable produce on the counter, knives, and a smooth mock-oak countertop island surrounded by two stools; her bedroom flaunted a soft mattress gushing with stuffed animals all sitting atop a blue bedsheet which suffocated fluffy pillows; her bathroom had a stand-in shower paired with a small toilet but was nothing exceptionally immaculate save for the medicine cabinet filled with extra strength rabbit tooth whitener; and her most favorite of the "rooms", the area she found herself spending the most time, was a small foyer connected with a snug balcony she absolutely adored, having spent many evenings sitting on the small outdoor table with a book in hand. It was all just enough for her, not too boastful yet not too plain. And it would soon be even more complete once she organized the massive piles of books splayed out around her couch which Nick leaned next to as he shifted the bookcase where she had directed him.

She sat on one of the kitchen stools and leisurely watched him work.

"I will say, Carrots, you weren't kidding. This is one _helluva_ book rack."

"Told you so. Can you imagine if that _fell_ on me?"

"Yep. Bunny bits," Nick grunted as he twisted the case as close to the wall as he could.

"Hey, I really do have to thank you. I know you probably have more exhilarating things to do with your evening than move this stupid thing around."

"Not a problem. I live to serve. Or is it serve to protect?" Nick stopped for a moment and looked upward as if in thought. "Or protect and serve? Who knows…" Judy tittered at Nick's silly joke. Nick finally got the bookcase in line with the wall and turned to Judy. "How's that?"

"Perfect!"

Nick clapped both paws together, satisfied, then sauntered over to the couch where he casually flipped among the literature stacked in clusters of large piles. "So, is this supposed to be some kind of new art movement you're creating?"

"Why? Do you think it would sell?"

"Well…" He let out a chuckle and slowly brought up a smaller book titled _Forgotten Desire_ in between his claws as if picking up a filthy piece of clothing. He made a face as if smelling something bad. "Probably not," he jeered.

Judy blushed, her ears drooping behind her head. "Yea, yea. _That_ one will probably go on the bottom."

"Good choice," Nick said while setting the book down. "Or maybe _behind_ the case?"

"Shut up," she laughed. "You want a water after your hard work out?"

"Sure."

Judy hopped from one of the stools and then pattered over to the refrigerator. She opened it, letting a beam of white light rush out, and as she leaned over to grab Nick his beverage, he couldn't help but yet again free himself from his mental shackles and sneak a glance at her cotton tail poking from her jeans which was connected to a more than delightful curve. Then the realization of what he was doing hit him. Why was he allowing this to happen? Not now. He had to stop. It wasn't natural for a predator. But try as he might, the darker side of his mind didn't seem to care—it completely took over and forced his eyes to stay honed-in on her ass. Almost as if on instinct, he pictured that, if her blue button up shirt was slightly shorter, it may have hiked up as she was bent there and reveled some risqué undergarment…a black or red thong perhaps. _Red_ , his mind told him, _definitely red in order to accentuate her grey and white fur color_.

He could literally feel his face flush, his head shake, and a stirring develop in his loins as he tried to pry his eyes off of her, a slight frustration building in him at realizing he was now thinking of what it would feel like to run his hands up along her hips. The evolution of his current state with her made him yet again feel lightheaded. Sure, he had in the past sneaked a look at her every now and again, but it was getting harder to deny the fact that he was becoming increasingly infatuated with her figure, her smell, her voice, seemingly every mode and factor that surrounded her. And now this…these _fantasies_. It was extremely strange to cope with because he had never in all his years experienced such a wane in his desires for his own species; in fact, it had almost completely fallen off the wayside. This was not how the world would view the two of them—it wouldn't allow it. Or at least he _thought_ it wouldn't allow it. After all, the scenarios of a predator attracting prey and vice versa was so miniscule nowadays that he couldn't picture it actually happening. He had to remind himself that this sudden attraction to her physical being would pass.

It was a pent-up urge due to the length of time it has been since he has been with a vixen.

A fetish of sorts.

That's right…a temporary fetish.

It _had_ to be.

"Think fast!"

The water bottle came tumbling toward Nick and he swiped his hand out too late. It thudded against his chest and fell to the floor before finding balance and stopping entirely. "Shit."

"Ha! What're you dreaming about over there?"

Nick bashfully looked to the carpet and then picked up the bottle with a shake of his head. "Chicken wings," he joked. "I've had a hankering for poultry lately."

"Spicy?"

"Always." Nick took a long chug of his water.

"You do realize that in some areas of the world they may consider that murder?"

"Mm. So tasty though." Nick then extended his finger, continuing with, "And not if they're feral, by the way. Zootopia District code 52-4 dictates that."

"The fact that you have to memorize a law to make it alright is pretty sick, Slick."

"I didn't make it, Sweetheart, I just follow it."

Judy rolled her eyes. "You predators."

"Seriously. You shouldn't knock it 'till you try it."

"God. I can't imagine that," Judy said as she walked in the living room. Her large flat screen television reflected a black image of Nick who was now sitting in between mountains of novels and law literature. He had a random book in his hand and was looking at the synopsis on the back. She shifted her way into a blank space on the couch and then turned to Nick. "So…what does it taste like?"

"Chicken specifically?"

"Yea."

Nick tapped his lips with his index finger claw. "Well… _amazing_ for one."

" _Ob_ viously, the way you nearly drool before you eat it. Remember _that_ little ordeal?"

"Hey! For your information, Cluckin' Chuck's serves what I would say is _the_ best feral hot wings this side of Zootopia. Don't be givin' me crap just because they couldn't wrap their minds around a rabbit ordering at the drive thru for her friend."

She giggled. "They looked so confused when I pulled up. And that expression on your face. You literally looked like you were ready to devour someone."

"I was."

"But really…if you had to describe it in a couple words, what would you say?"

Nick's eyes were slits now. "I don't know. It's hard to explain if you've never eaten meat before. It's…rich, I guess. Filling. I don't know. Sexually gratifying?"

Judy's face was blank for a moment and then she held onto her stomach and started laughing. "You're such a vocabulary connoisseur, Mr. Wilde. _Sexually gratifying_!?" She had one eyebrow raised, as if slightly intrigued.

"Yes. Okay, yes. It gave me a boner, alright? It was fantastic."

Judy was now doubled over in laughter, tears streaming down her face.

Nick joined in as well.

"You freak," she said in between breaths.

"Whatever, bookworm."

Judy leaned back on the couch and let out a happy sigh. "Yea," she started, "I think we can take chicken and such off the docket of my things to eat in life."

"How's _that_ fair? I've tried eating your salad mush and rotisserie veggie surprise!"

"Yea, and wasn't it _soooo_ good?" Judy patted her fists against the couch like an excited child, a goofy motion Nick found incredibly cute.

"No! It was like chewing on a handful of dirt."

"As opposed to mauling a defenseless creature alive?"

" _I_ didn't hear any screams. All I felt was tingly strands of goodness and spices… damn, now I'm hungry."

"Well go out there and find a poor homeless chicken then," Judy said pointing toward the door.

For some reason, Nick found this hilarious and started laughing. This only spurred Judy on further to continue her good spirits, her smile broadening and her eyes gleaming.

Nick found himself leaned back against the couch like Judy and turned his head toward her. "What are you planning on doing with the rest of your evening?" he asked.

"You're sitting around them."

"That's boring."

"Well…what do you suggest?"

Nick latched onto the rhetorical question. It was a perfect out now. "I was talking with Marcus earlier. He and a bunch of guys and girls are going to the Black Raven. They suggested we tag along. I believe the terminology he used was _'shit's gonna' get all fucked up'_ if I remember right. That could mean many things, but I'm assuming it was meant to be positive."

Judy giggled. "Yea?"

"Yep. Wanna' go?"

Judy jumped up from her seat. "Yea! Let's go!"

Nick rose from the couch and a stream of books flushed in where he had been sitting. "Sweet beets."

"So, where's it at?" Judy asked.

"47th and Meadow. I think that's pretty close."

"Yea it is. We can walk."

"Probably a good idea anyway…if it's as 'bumping' as Marcus claims."

Judy opened her door and twisted the knob to make sure it was locked. "You may have to carry me home, you know," she said matter-of-factly.

"Don't have to tell me twice, Ms. Hopps." Secretly, Nick couldn't wait.

The pub sign was dimly lit by yellow lighting and looked old timey with a mock-medieval stamp of a black raven silhouette bunched around veils of vines. Chunks of wood were burned at the edges of the thick display to give it a rustic look, and the building itself was quite squat and small, barely being distinguishable from all of the other busy markets and larger than life structures surrounding it. Metaphorically, it slightly reminded Nick of Judy's ventures into Zootopia: a bright and vibrant rabbit miniscule in stature encountering enormous obstacles, feeling hard pressed— pushed down even—in this massive society, yet managing to overcome all odds and finding a home among chaos. And to top it off, just like her, the building they were about to enter was choked full of interesting things the closer you looked. In a way, the pub appeared "bullied" by its neighbors, resembling a pit stop one would take in between an alleyway to piss, but there was a sense of cleanliness and coolness as seen by the chrome lining hugging the frames of the small overhanging roof and the door which was tall and wide.

Marcus had been entirely correct when he had said it was barely noticeable—it may have very well not existed except for those who were already acquainted with it.

Nick opened the door for Judy. After she thanked him, they made their way into a mostly wooden haven: the floor was oak, lined with black and brown fake knotholes, and a series of mahogany tables of varying heights garnished the entrance they walked through—the seating was mostly high-stool tables with several customers, two being giraffes dressed in casual clothing, sitting and sipping at tall brews. Some customers clasped their beer steins and drank alone, a look of blankness washed over their busts, while others appeared to be having a genuinely exhilarating time and were jeering and yapping about. A boom of laughter made Nick's ears stand straight up; in the distance, he saw a larger section of low circular knight-of-the-round-table style seating which appeared to attract a large group of off-duty officers and some animals Nick did not recognize, more than likely the guests Marcus had mentioned in the locker room.

Nick briefly looked to his left as he made his way over to the group, admiring the bar lined with wooden shelfing and what appeared to be an army of glass figures—every bottle style imaginable, every beer and scotch concoction one could think of. Nailed to the massive shelfing system were black chalk boards boasting the special drinks for the night in pink and blue chalk colors: Jumbo Lager, Stevie's Knockout Surprise, Love Potion 669, and a slew of other bizarre names. A large wooden feral raven figurine hung above the barkeep, clearly chiseled by crafted hands and suspended by fancy wiring, and a television on the left side hummed with a barely noticeable volume level which was vastly overpowered by some kind of Soundgarden song playing from the overhead speakers. All in all, Nick liked what he saw, and by the look on Judy's face, so did she.

"How ya' doin'?"

Nick's head turned to the owner of the gruff voice.

The bartender, a tall fattish otter wearing what looked like some kind of tattered brown vest lined with strange pieces of flare, gave the two new customers a nod of his head, his shaggy black hair jiggling underneath the yellow lighting of the room. His muzzle was short, and his white whiskers jutted out in crazy directions. His weak smile showed off a cluster of very sharp incisors.

"Good!" Nick and Judy said.

"Y'all just let me know when you need something."

"Okay, thanks!" Nick waved.

From the large group he and Judy were approaching, Nick heard a recognizable voice pipe up from within.

"Ohmygahd! Nick! Judy! Fuck! _Drinks_! Drinks for my pals!" Marcus, clearly already buzzed, was gesturing wildly with his hands toward the otter bartender, a trait he often adopted when inebriated. "Guys pick up a squat! C'mon over!" Everyone greeted Nick with claps against his shoulder and handshakes. Among the group was a majority of the officers that were in the locker room an hour ago, including Alexander, Derek, Thomas, Fangmeyer, and a very noticeable Dominic, who at the moment took up not only a monumental amount of space but also a Jumbo XXXXL chair with steel reinforcement; his silly red and white _Where's Waldo?_ Shorts showed off tree trunk sized legs that were callused and wrinkly with grey elephant flesh, a sight that made Nick inwardly chuckle for a reason he could not pinpoint. Perhaps it was his massive body contrasted by the bright clown-esque clothing that a small vehicle could fit in. Yea, that had to be it. The ladies of the group were giving Judy hugs and appeared to be genuinely excited to see her, some bending down to wrap their arms around her because of the difference in height. Nick noticed that Amy, Marcus's blonde and tan coated Siberian Husky girlfriend, had brought along a slew of her friends, one of which was a thin and well-formed vixen that momentarily caught Nick's eye. Her black shoulder length hair stood out like a sore thumb due to the purple strands of highlights lining it, and her white muzzle accentuated her charcoal-lined ears which jutted out in an exceptionally long angle, almost fennec in a way. She had one glittering piercing in her nose and gave Nick a smile once his green eyes locked with her own Caribbean blues.

" _Nick_! _Hi_!" Amy said joyfully. She gave him a light and friendly hug.

"Hi, Amy. How have you been?"

" _Good_! Glad you could make it! _Oh_! Have you met my friends?"

Nick shook his head. "I can't that say I have."

Amy grabbed Nick's shoulders and edged him over to the group of females. He looked down at Judy, who stood next to the group, and rose his eyebrows which she warmly smiled at.

"So," Amy started, "this is Francine! Francine this is Nick Wilde." Nick shook the poodle's hand and they exchanged a hello.

"And this is Shanna." Nick gave a nod and wave at the mare.

"This is Rachel." Nick greeted the Calico feline.

"And _this_ is Samantha." The vixen stuck out her hand and Nick shook it gently.

"Hi," she said. Her voice was gravely but in a sexy way.

"Hey," Nick responded. He glanced down at Judy to see that she was making conversation with Francine.

Up close, Samantha had clasped around her neck a green gem pendant that rested snugly in between her cleavage which was pronounced by the tight fitting short sleeve t-shirt she wore emblazoned with a rock band he was not wholly aware of—by the looks of it, they were probably a metal genre of some kind and no doubt spat blood or another type of strange fluid at the concert goers due to the mass number of skulls surrounding their name, which in huge crimson letters read: BloodFist! She definitely had a rocker-chick vibe to her, the way her shoulders were broad not in the sense of beefiness but rather toned muscularity, and Nick noticed that she sported three piercings on each one of her ears, two of which were small black gauges. Her chest fur faded into a snow-white color, far off from the natural red shade her entire body was save for her forearms and feet paws, and Nick had a difficult time deciding if she had a mixture of species in her due to the length of her muzzle and her very noticeable fennec-esque ears… perhaps she was a product of the very thing he was trifling so hard with recently: the attraction of something forbidden, something beyond his grasp.

Perhaps she was a glimmer of hope that things would just _sort_ themselves out.

Perhaps… Looking at Amy, Nick jabbed a thumb toward Marcus.

"I see your bf is, as the youth say, 'off the chain' right now." Samantha and Amy giggled.

"Yea…" Amy glanced over at Marcus who right now had a small cocktail umbrella set atop one of his ears. "He's definitely pushing for a volcano hangover tomorrow."

"How have you been?" Nick asked.

"Good! Just adapting to the new house, you know. We've finally got everything transferred over. Took us a good _month_! But…it's getting harder and harder to find space for Marcus's _Star Wars_ collection."

"Ha! You may have to resort to a little friend called eBay."

Amy's eyes went wide, and she put a paw to her muzzle. "Jesus! He'd cut us off right then and there."

"At least you guys know your limits, eh?"

"Very true. Hey, I'm gonna' get another drink. You want anything?"

Nick rubbed underneath his muzzle. "I'm feelin' frisky," he said while handing her some money, "Get me the Love Potion special, will ya'?"

"Oooo…is Mr. Wilde feeling _lucky_ tonight?" Nick stuck his claws out and made a goofy growling sound which caused Amy to laugh. She then sauntered over to the bar.

Nick turned his attention to Samantha who looked as though she was ready to engage in conversation.

"So," she started, "you a cop like everyone else here?"

Nick chuckled. "Yea. If you were out and about looking for variety, sorry."

Her smile and light titter told Nick she had a sense of humor. "No, it's fine. I just didn't realize you guys migrated together."

"Yea. Brothers and sisters to the end, you know. Honor. Glory. All that shit." Nick glanced over at the table Marcus sat at with Alexander, Derek, and Thomas. They were getting cards shuffled and appeared to have poker chips dealt out to one another. "So, what do you do?" Nick asked.

"I work as a secretary at Callibaras."

"I may be wrong," Nick said raising one eyebrow, "but isn't that a _publishing_ house?"

"It is."

"I thought so. What's _that_ like?"

"Pretty much what you would imagine," she laughed.

"Reams of pages."

"Yea."

"Do you guys get, like, health care and extra pensions for paper cuts and such?"

" _No_! Hey! There's a _little_ more to it than that!"

"I know! I'm just pullin' your leg." A drink appeared in front of Nick's face. He took it from Amy's paws. "Thanks!"

"No prob," she said cheerily.

Suddenly Marcus's voice rang out. "Nicholas! Over here! Cards! We need a good bluff. Thomas can't play for shit!" Nick turned to see Marcus waving him over and Thomas giving the drunk Siberian Husky a punch on the shoulder.

"Is this like some giant _conspiracy_?" The fox opened his arms and with a confused expression on his face continued with, "First Judy and then you with the Nicholas shit. I feel like I'm back in the 1980s! Have you guys been talking or something?"

"Yes! She's told me every dark secret about you, including your love for Golden Oldies and how you like being pegged while getting your knot massaged. Now, c'mon! Samantha, you can play too! And Judy. Get yer' ass over here!"

Nick shook his head and looked at Samantha who was laughing. "That's _totally_ offensive. I absolutely _don't_ like Golden Oldies." Samantha exploded with a fit of giggles. Nick then bowed in gentlemanly fashion. "Shall we?" he asked.

"Why yes."

The table was crowded with blue, green, red, and black poker chips in clusters of piles reminiscent to what it looked like back at Judy's apartment. The game of choice at the moment was Texas Hold Em', a favorite of Nick's, and he slyly glanced at his lagomorph partner who was sitting next to him organizing her distributed chips by color; she looked ready to play, the fiery and competitive part of her brain overtaking all other aspects of her surroundings. Unlike the other girls who were sitting and wildly talking at a smaller high-rise table next to everyone, she was not one to engage in too much girly talk and would rather hang with the guys, a personal taste no doubt inherited from the insurmountable number of brothers in her family. Nick smiled at her concentrated passion and began organizing his own chips, glancing around the table at the closest individuals he has ever come to have since he was a child. In secret, his thankfulness for the force radiated within him every day he stepped foot into his uniform because it created something he had not experienced since his mother had been sober long, long ago: family. Brothers and sisters in blue—they were the glue that helped hold him together. It almost made him cry when he thought about it too hard, so he only attempted to do so at home. Across from him, Thomas was shuffling the cards and puffing away at a thick brown stogie, ashes dribbling underneath his chin and onto the floor below, and he was jabbering on to Dominic in his quick voice about his past work with construction. Alexander and Derek were in mid-conversation but stopped and gave Nick a friendly head nod, which Nick mimicked to yet again reinforce that there were no hard feelings about the locker room joke. Alexander took it well and boldly leaned forward, whispering to Nick "You ready to get your fuzzy ass beat at some cards, Slick Nick?"

Nick responded with his trademark grin and said, "You wish, fleabag." They both chuckled.

"So, here's the stakes," Marcus began loudly, the little pink cocktail umbrella shaking as he bobbed his head around. He dribbled his hands against the table like a drum-roll. "No limit Hold 'Em. Minimum bet has to be equal to the big blind. Whaddaya' think, Thomas…20 chip low-stakes, for the amateurs here?"

Thomas took his H. Upmann cigar from his mouth and exhaled a slithering trail of gray smoke toward the ceiling. "Sounds good ta' me," he said. "You lay 'em down, I'll rack 'em up."

"And to make things interesting," Marcus started, his finger raised in the air, "each loser takes a shot."

Derek patted both of his paws against the table quickly and then said, " _Now_ we're talkin'!"

"Uh-oh. This is trouble," Fangmeyer said with a toothy smile.

"That okay with you, light-weight bunny-baby?" Marcus asked, his eyes staring directly at Judy.

She shot Marcus a glance. "Hey, I'm fine. _You_ assholes will be the ones drinking anyway." The entire table whooped and cackled.

"Oh boy! Hopps brought her _A-game_!" Marcus cheered and then pointed at Nick.

"That's a direct challenge to the Sly Man here!"

"I may be in trouble tonight, boys," Nick nodded.

"Thomson!" Marcus shouted, slapping the table and turning around in his seat toward the bar. "I wanna' buy out a whole bottle of tequila! Bring 'yer best over here! And could we please get some shot glasses?"

The bartender brought over a bottle and tiny glasses for the table. "Abandon all hope…" he said spookily, eyeing the sunflower tinted bottle.

"Thanks, grim-reaper," Marcus said, slipping Thomson a fifty-dollar bill.

"That was Dante, ya' fuckin' _mook_ ," Thomson grumbled before snapping the cash from Marcus's paw and waddling back to the bar.

Everyone laughed.

"He's an eccentric one, that man," Marcus said with a smile on his face. He began dealing out the cards. "Get ready, _bitches_. Time to get—" Marcus suddenly stopped, his ears poking straight up, and then he stood up.

"Hey, HEY! Look what the dog catcher dragged in!" he shouted with open arms.

Nick looked toward the entrance, and immediately his face fell. _Shit,_ his mind screamed. _Shit and shit and shit…_ Bernhard Hotch. _Fucking_ -Bernhard- _Fucking_ -Hotch. This…was…not…good.

The white and brown spotted rabbit was not who Marcus had been so excited to see, but rather his German Shepherd partner, Officer Norris McKentry. But it _was_ Bernhard in all of his four-foot glory that sent a wave of melancholy all throughout Nick's being, practically crashing his evening altogether in a single step through a pub doorway. Having been known to ebb flirts and hints toward Judy, he was what a typical rabbit female would find attractive, or at least what Nick believed one might find attractive: well-muscled for his species, tall, soft eyes, a large brown spot covering his entire right eye and cheek, he appeared to be equipped with an entire handbag of traits that could have ended him up in the bed of any lagomorph he wished…that is, if he played his cards right. And he _always_ tried playing his cards with Judy. This was something Nick saw all the time. The male rabbit never failed to seemingly float across a room, suspended by confidence and courage, and his good posture made him appear taller than he actually was, coupled with the habit he had of keeping his ears stuck straight in the air regardless of his emotional state; it all seemed to be a script, a mathematical formula with the summation being one thing and one thing alone —pussy. At the tips of his ears were black tufts of fur, and his smile, which he tried projecting wherever he sauntered, was immaculate.

Nick recalled the bubbling animosity first starting when he and Judy were initially partnered after their Howler incident; it had been only three weeks after working together when Bernhard had joined the force and began making advances toward Judy, softly at first, but then more openly until he would habitually stop by her office and ask questions about her or tell her jokes, placing his hand on her shoulder in the process, and even—the one thing that pissed Nick off so much he nearly pulled his head fur out in one yank—calling her by Nick's favorite name: Carrots. In no way, shape or form, would Bernhard stand a chance against Nick's ferocity, but that didn't stop him for exuding an almost one-upmanship attitude toward the vulpine; it was as if he secretly knew of Nick's growing attraction and sought to jeopardize it.

At least this was what Nick's paranoid mind thought. In reality, it very well could just be that he wanted to fuck Judy and Nick wholly disapproved. Either way, this dude was bad news.

Marcus was giving Norris a brotherly hug and patted Bernhard on the shoulder. He then pointed toward the group and the three made their way over.

"Norris," Fangmeyer boomed, "what's this shit I hear about you getting your ass handed to you by some kids?"

Norris cackled, his loud and unique laugh echoing throughout the pub. "Getting' rusty," Norris said while shaking his head. "And if my partner here wasn't tryin' to practice his game on some 'hotties' I might have had a chance."

"Oh, _please_ ," Bernhard said, waving Norris off. "I had to come to _your_ rescue regardless, pup-dog."

Norris let out another cackle. "True, true," he said. After calming down, he looked to the other guests at the table and then said, "What's up, Nick?" Nick extended his paw to Norris and he took it.

"Just getting prepped for the slaughter you're about to see," Nick said waving his arm across the table.

"Got room?"

" _Hell's_ yea!" Marcus interrupted. "Grab a seat!" Nick's eyes darted over to Bernhard who was being introduced to Amy's friends.

After the formalities, he then made his way over to the table. "Nick," he said with a nod.

Nick's only response was a point of his finger, the only thing he was willing to do in a gesture of welcome for this animal. He was well aware of how cold he was to this particular male rabbit, and he had no doubt the rabbit understood this from his own side as well.

Bernhard turned to Judy. "Well, well! Look who came out of her rabbit hole! How you doin', Carrots?"

Judy straightened up. "Good! You?"

"Fine. Just checking out the establishment. Nice place, huh?"

"Yea it is," Judy said, bubbly as ever.

Bernhard pointed to an open chair next to Judy and then asked, "Mind if I take a seat there?"

"Go ahead!"

The male rabbit slid into the seat. Nick tried to not look bothered by this.

"So…check this out." Bernhard brought out his phone and was flipping through some photos to show Judy one in particular. He tilted the illuminated screen toward her and began telling her a story about their beat the other day, the picture being something that was affiliated with his tale. Samantha took this moment to begin talk with Nick, which he responded to, but he would occasionally look back at his partner to see their talk uninterrupted. This in itself wasn't entirely bothersome, but rather the thing that caused Nick to nearly grasp ahold of the table with his claws was the fact that the little prick had his hand rested on her shoulder as he narrated. She didn't seem to mind or notice, a fact Nick wrestled with in his mind. He couldn't stand it.

"We gonna' get this game rolling?" Nick blurted out, trying his mightiest to mask his frustration.

Marcus's face lit up and he immediately stopped talking to Thomas. "Yes! YES! Wilde's _right_! Let's roll! Strap up!"

"Okay, I'll tell you the rest later," Nick heard Bernhard whisper. He looked over to see the rabbit stuffing his phone back in his pocket and then say, "Need some chips here, Fields!"

"On it!"

Nick let out a breath of air. It appeared this would be the battle tonight. This was the _actual_ game being played, and he was _not_ in the mood for it.

In a sweeping moment, it sounded like an 80s disco with "Genius of Love" by Tom-Tom Club playing on the overhanging speakers. Everyone seemed to be in brighter sprits because of it. Even the bartender, Thomson, who according to Marcus was utterly stoic when it came to anything that involved opening oneself up, slightly bounced back and forth to the beat.

Nick's eyes darted back and forth. He tried not to stay pinned on Bernhard to long.

The game ensued, and the first four rounds were fairly well split among the group with Nick leading everyone else by one. Each time a loss or fold was revealed, the player took a shot of the Fire-Bird Bomb tequila Thomson had brought over, dribbling the urine colored drink into their small glass and downing it in a single gulp; it burned going down and sloshed in everyone's belly like hellfire, but the liquid was doing more than its job by getting all the players—even the seemingly well-reserved Samantha who sat to the left side of Nick—riled up.

Nick would occasionally crack a joke her way and every time she tossed back a snicker.

Even Judy, who at this point had already taken three shots, was getting rambunctious and talking back to anyone who decided to fling sass in her direction, including Dominic and his feeble attempt at tapping her right shoulder with his trunk to get her to think it was Nick.

Nick made sure to keep somewhat of an eye on her as a result of a slight fear gnawing in the back of his mind that she might overdo things due to being caught up in the moment, but he was always reassured by her smile and sparkling purple eyes, or the way she would nudge him with her body and sigh after a good hand. It was enough to make Nick forget entirely about Bernhard, and he would shoot her a little smile he was sure only he and she saw. There was a definite closeness she was exhibiting toward him the more intoxicated she became, and while Nick was quick to brush this off as something she just did, as something her personality dictated, he couldn't help but recall time after time she acted this way only toward him when they went out together.

It was a pattern at this point.

Nick glanced over to see Bernhard whisper something in Judy's ear. She put her hand to her mouth and laughed. Nick could feel his fist clench. _What the fuck are you doing, Nick,_ he thought. _Is this really jealousy? Seriously!? Remember your mantra, stupid. Remember._ Nick's fist unclenched, and he took a sip of his Love Potion 669 drink. He even managed to squeeze out a forced look of content. "I raise," he said, tossing a handful of chips in the pot.

As the rounds continued, less and less cards were being played and more of a drinking challenge started. So far, the largest of the animals, Dominic, had no problem downing what would have been a cauldron of alcohol with his grey and twisty elephant trunk, and Thomas was hooting and hollering at this phenomenon, nearly biting his shortened cigar in half. Marcus slapped his partner's back which sent the Margay into a fit of coughs, the cigar sputtering red ashes and twisting on the table now, and everyone burst into hearty laughter at how foolish the mammal looked with his twisted whiskers and saliva dribbling down his chin. Even Thomas was in on the joke, his coughs becoming a laughing metamorphosis. At times, Nick would feel the warmth of Samantha's leg brush against his and he would look over to see her giving him a suggestive look. It appeared the alcohol was getting to her as well.

Fangmeyer called out Judy for a challenge, and the two started downing shots; Nick gave her a look of trepidation, but with her own adopted sly look she took from Nick, he knew to not worry as her control would prevent her from doing anything stupid. Four shots in, Fangmeyer was looking sluggish and Judy sucked down her fifth before slamming the butt of the glass against the table and hopping up on the wooden surface. She threw two index fingers at him and shouted, " _BOOM,_ BITCH!" Everyone cheered her on and were laughing hysterically at the defeated Fangmeyer who collapsed in his seat and spread both arms wide. Nick slapped at the table in his laughter and managed to calm himself before looking up at Judy. In a moment of clarity, he saw something surreal happen: everything seemed to slow down for only a moment, as if time was suspended and gravity lost its foundation for rules. It was like a photograph.

A moment captured in the flow and ebb of space. All he could see was the joy everyone was directing at Judy; it was as if they were all newfound friends of her now, and nothing but one continuously echoing message emanated from all of their faces, and it said this: _she can hang_.

Judy somewhat toppled on the table, making everyone blurt out a "Woah!", but Nick was quick and reached out, grabbing her sides and lifting her up before setting her down on her chair.

"Okay, Coyote Ugly, enough table-dancing for you," Nick said.

Judy slapped Nick's shoulder and then hopped up at him, practically jumping in his lap. She then attempted to bite at one of his ears.

" _Holy_ shit! Howler alert! She's gone _savage_!" Thomas yelled.

"Get my _fuckin' gun_!" Marcus shouted.

Everyone was rolling, drunken laughter filling the room in rivulets.

"Carrots, sit! _Stay_!" Nick shouted, grabbing at her arms.

After a moment, she calmed down and sat back in her seat. She took a drink of her beer and then nudged Nick's ribs. "Hey, gonna' go to the ladies' room. Be back."

"Don't fall in the toilet, now," Nick said.

She responded by punching his shoulder; this sent a grin across his face.

After she left, Nick let out a breath of air.

"That's one crazy bunny," Thomas said while shaking his head.

"Your telling me? I have to work with her," Nick said brining his glass to mouth and in the same motion realizing he had nothing left. "Gonna' get a refill," he announced.

After excusing himself, he walked over to Thomson who at this point was cleaning out a beer stein and was watching a football gaming play out on the television screen.

"Thomson, my mammal," Nick started, placing both elbows against the bar table, "another one of your fine lagers, you wizard!"

"Aye' aye'," Thomson said with a salute.

"Wrong genre, dude."

"Ah…fuck it all."

Nick guffawed with the sudden realization that he actually liked Thomson. Suddenly, he felt a presence beside him. He quickly twisted his head to see a figure that shot him out of his content state with the force of a cannon.

"Nick," Bernhard started, "can I talk to you for a second?" Without a word escaping his lips, Nick tapped his fingers from his thumb to his pinky across the bar table several times, and then finally said, "Yea. What do you want?" Bernhard mirrored Nick's stance, setting his elbows up on the bar, and then leaned closely to the vulpine.

"So, your partner, Judy…" Bernhard trailed off.

Nick's eyes looked from left to right. Was this little snake waiting for something? He didn't feel like playing games with him, but he had no choice but to take the bait.

"What _about_ her?" Nick asked, more frustration coming out of his tone than he initially intended.

"Well…I don't want to be out of line by asking this, but…you guys aren't _seeing_ each other, are you?" Nick was sure his shocked look registered from Bernhard's side as seen by the rabbit's smile.

"Say _what_?" Nick asked.

"Well…I mean, you know. This isn't really coming just from me. There's a lotta' talk always with the other guys. You know, Hopps-this-Wilde-that. And the way you guys talk and interact. It just…isn't outside the realm of possibility, is it? I was just curious is all."

Nick took his arms off the bar and turned his body toward Bernhard. "What you getting' at, Hotch?"

"Just that. Are you guys dating?"

Nick's eyes were slits. He was trying to figure out Bernhard's angle, but even his quick mind, albeit drunk, could not solve this puzzle. "No," Nick said flatly. "No we aren't."

Bernhard let out a breath of air and slapped Nick's shoulder before saying, "Ah, good, good…"

Nick stood staring at the rabbit who was now inspecting the drink choices displayed on the wooden shelves, his elbows still set up on the table. It was as if he was suddenly done with the conversation entirely.

It was then that Nick decided he wanted to play the game. And in order to do so, he got back in his comfortable position, attempting to mask any dislike toward the worm he stood next to. He cupped at his drink which Thomson brought over and took a small sip followed by a slight turn toward Bernhard. "Why do you ask?" Nick asked in a friendlier tone.

"Huh?"

"I mean, what does it matter."

"Oh. It doesn't. I was just wanting to know."

Nick's brow rose. "Just an inquisitive mind, eh?"

Bernhard nodded and then suddenly opened up. "And…" he started, leaning closer to Nick. "Well…you know…I wouldn't want to try and break any bonds you two had going."

Nick tried his mightiest to not clench his fist.

It was out in the open. The little snake's den was found out.

"Ah…" Nick said. "I see. You plan on getting that going soon?"

Bernhard let loose a devilish grin. "We'll see," he said.

Nick's mind was working quickly now. He wanted in deeper.

"So…" Nick started. "What do you think of her?"

"Fuck." Bernhard nodded and then made an okay sign with his hand. "Let's just say if I was a meat eater, I'd stick my face in that."

Nick was nodding and then slyly added, "Well, you don't _have_ to be one to still do that, sir."

Bernhard let out a laugh and patted Nick's shoulder. He seemed to be buddying up now, the rigid stance of his body gradually fading with each sentence. "Very true," he said. "Very true indeed."

"You think she's responsive to you?"

Bernhard scrunched his face. "Pretty sure she is. I mean, _c'mon_ , she doesn't have anyone around here she knows besides us. I'm one of the few rabbits in the force besides her. Her box has to be a little pent up, right?"

"Probably. And you'll be the one to fix that, huh?"

"Let's hope so, bro. Let's hope so."

"And who knows," Nick shrugged, "She's in a damn good mood. Say the right thing, sing the right tune…and it may very well be your lucky night."

"Could be." Bernhard tilted his head toward Nick's side and with a whisper said, "And if it is, man, I tell ya'…I'm gonna' _fuck_ her little bunny pussy until her brains fall out."

Nick lightly slapped at the table, realizing what he just did and quickly masked his anger as joy for Bernhard's sake. He let out a laugh and with a claw pointed toward the ceiling said, "Be careful though. I hear tale about your species and your…uh… _sexploits_."

"Oh. Don't you worry about that. Don't worry, my man. I'm fine when it comes to that department. _She'll_ be the one who has to keep up."

"This is coming from one mammal to another: don't forget your protection, my good friend."

"Ha! Yea. Well, if she's in as good of a mood as you say, perhaps a good nuttin' on her face is in order, huh?"

"Right."

Bernhard stood straight up and gave Nick a wink and pat on the back. "Thanks for the chat, man."

Nick tilted his glass and bowed his head. "The pleasure was mine, Hotch."

Bernhard walked back over to one of the smaller tables and waved Judy over once she exited the bathroom. She patted over to him and he took out his phone, presumably going back to telling his story that he started with her earlier.

Nick felt sick, his stomach doing flops, and it was not from the alcohol. That was the last thing on his mind. At this point, he may very well have structured a blueprint for the male lagomorph's success, and there was absolutely nothing he could do about it—his desire to go deeper with this sub-mammal he has come to know as Bernhard Hotch seemed to backfire; if only he had somehow twisted the little worm's question into a vague answer, perhaps he might have backed off entirely. Of _course,_ that was his angle in asking Nick if he and Judy were an item. How could it _not_ have been? You idiot. You've seen how he acts around her.

Nick's eyes widened at the deeper possibilities. Would she follow him? Excuse herself for the night and let him take her by the arm outside? Would she succumb to his charm and eventually sleep with him? It was all very macabre for him to imagine. He and Judy had built up what he felt like was a relationship not many police officers could say they had with another coworker, and for some reason, he felt as though trailing off with another individual and getting romantically involved would be an act of betrayal. It was a silly thought, he realized, as the two of them had nothing but a platonic relationship, and she was free to do what she pleased with her body, but it still corroded away at his inner shell, like acid against soft flesh. It ate him, and it hurt. He could feel a lump forming in his throat, images of his mother and everything else horrible in his life pouring out of the little holes this trifling moment was creating, and he had no alternative but to mentally rush to patch those holes up. Rearrangement was necessary now.

He chanted the mantra in his head.

Never let them see that they get to you.

Never let them see that they get to you.

Never let them see that— As he sat there brooding over his presumptive mistake, he did not even pick up on Marcus's presence.

"You, my fine furry friend, are due for a banging." Nick turned to see a completely shit-faced Marcus who now had two cocktail umbrellas hanging from each of his ears. His eyes were half-lidded and he no doubt was a stein away from collapsing.

"What's that, Marcus?" Nick asked, putting his hand on the Siberian Husky's shoulder and squeezing.

"I said…on what Earth…do you think of Sammy?"

Nick's teeth made themselves visible from his wide smile. "Marcus, my young Yoda," Nick began, "I would say you're due for a glass of water."

Marcus suddenly bumped his glass against the bar table. "Thomson! Swimmer of the sea! Give thyself a drink. A drink for me!"

Thomson's face was stagnant as he continued watching the game. He simply asked, "What'll it be, Lloyd?"

"Who?" Marcus asked.

"Technically," Nick started, "it should go 'What'll it be, Mr. Torrance', Thomson."

"Ah…fuck it all."

Marcus grabbed at Nick's shirt. "Dude…" he nearly drooled.

"Yes? Marcus?"

"Bro, I gotta' tell you somethin'."

"Go ahead."

"So…fuckin'…" his fingers were in front of Nick's face, his gesticulations becoming something only a fogged mind would understand. "Fuckin' Samantha…so…get this. She is _totally_ down to fuck you tonight. Totally."

Nick snorted and took a swig of his drink. "That a fact?"

"Dude…like…so get this…" Marcus seemed to be searching his mind for the only vocabulary his inebriation allowed to filter through his sluggish muzzle. He finally found the words and shot them from his mouth. "She said you're hot. She's single, man. And she's totally… _totally_ down for a bonin'. Like, I'm talking raw, porno, knot-style fucking."

"Hey, thanks for the heads-up man," Nick chuckled.

Marcus slapped Nick's back several times, pleased with himself.

"My man is getting' it tonight, Thomson. The _good_ stuff!"

Thomson pointed one finger at Nick without taking his eyes away from the television and said in a toneless voice, "Congratulations, Mr. Wilde."

"Thanks, Thomson," Nick laughed.

"The good stuff," Marcus nodded, repeating himself.

"That's right. Yippee for me." Nick raised his glass.

"An' another thing…" Marcus slurred.

"Yes, Marcus. What words of wisdom do you have for me?"

He was practically hugging Nick now and was silent for a long while until he blurted out, "I love you, man. Seriously…like a brother. You inspire me, man. You…you…" Marcus stopped midsentence and in a quick motion grabbed his empty glass and then shouted, "Back to the drunk board! I'm fuckin' _hosed_! Hoses hosed!" With that, he turned and left.

Smiling, Nick shook his head, a slight part of him being flattered about Marcus's response. He sat for a good five minutes, contemplating everything that was happening. Every once in a while, he would glance over to see Bernhard trying to put the moves on Judy. A loud sigh escaped his maw.

"Welcome to my world," Thomson suddenly said in a bitter tone. He was still watching the television.

"At least I can empathize now, Thomson." The football team scored, and the otter didn't even bother reacting. Rather, he said, "It don't help none, now does it?"

"Nope. Not a fuckin' iota." From his peripheral vision, Nick could see Samantha approaching. She sat down right next to him on one of the swivel barstools, lightly propping her beer against one of the coasters, her tail sticking straight up behind her, and Nick had to be honest with himself by conceding she looked extremely attractive sitting there with such good posture. She was positioned in such a way that her backside and breasts were accentuated in the manner of some type of erotic sculpture. Her thighs were robust and the thin pink skirt she wore, now slightly wandering up because of how she sat, revealed that the inner parts of them were white fur complementary to her chest; it would an easy task, here and now, for him to properly seal his fate with her, if in fact Marcus had been telling the truth about her comments. Besides, it had been what felt like eons since Nick has been with a vixen, and he did have to come to terms by admitting that a small part of him, the pent-up animal within, was rattling his cage and trying to find a way to escape. It wanted meat, and now.

With her paw, Samantha moved a strand of purple hair way from the front of her muzzle and gave a smile to Nick. "Hey," she said.

"How you doing, Samantha?"

"Just taking a break from the craziness over there."

"Craziness? What do you mean? Marcus being disorderly? That doesn't sound _anything_ like him."

She laughed, setting an arm upon the table. "So…" she began, "What'd you and him talk about earlier? Looked like a real heart-to-heart."

Nick chuckled. "You wouldn't want to know, honey."

"C'mon! I can take it!"

Nick raised an eyebrow and took a hefty swig from his beer. "I'll have you know, I'm brutally honest and have no filter when it comes to someone requesting that I repeat something."

She looked amused, putting her chin atop her hand which happened to be propped up by her elbow. Her simple nod of approval was her answer.

" _Oh_ -kay…" Nick took another drink of his beer before setting it down with moderate force. "If you insist. So, we talked about his current state of mind, only for a moment. He asked Thomson for a drink, which he miraculously forgot in about two seconds flat. And then, we talked about you."

Samantha's eyes widened. "Is that so?" she asked, but her expression was coy rather than surprised.

"It is."

"And…what exactly was said, Man of Mystery?"

"You sure about this?"

"The suspense is killing me."

"He said four things. One: he loves me like a brother and I give him inspiration. Two: you're single. Three: you think I'm hot. And four…you're down to fuck tonight."

Samantha slightly flinched at the last remark.

Nick's eyebrows flashed upward in a facial expression that said, "I told you so." But much to his surprise, she didn't look shocked. In fact, she had a somewhat amused, albeit slightly embarrassed look on her face. She seemed to be trying to gain her bearings and then finally did.

"Well…aren't you two naughty."

Nick put both hands up. "Hey, I didn't initiate or steer the conversation, sweetheart! I was just riding along."

"But even the rider can ditch the vehicle."

Shrugging, Nick said, "What can I say? The scenery seemed interesting."

Samantha laughed lightly. Then she leaned forward and said in a whisper, "I will admit that two of those things you two talked about are correct."

"Is that so?" Nick asked, setting an elbow up on the table.

"Yea," she leaned forward slightly more, her muzzle resting against her paw again, and then said seductively, "Would you like to know which ones?"

"I'm captivated."

Her smile oozed sex. She was making this very clear and easy for Nick. "I can't say for sure your friend, as you said, loves you like a brother. He seems like a nice enough guy, but…I can't read minds. And his mind right now doesn't seem too clear. I also can't say for sure that I don't have a boyfriend out on business for the next two days…but for tonight…" her finger trailed up the counter and then found its way on Nick's forearm. She gave it a light stroke, "… for tonight, I think the last two things you guys talked about are one-hundred percent true."

Nick looked down at her hand trailing against him. It would be so easy to fuck her right now. The cards were out on the table. He could feel her foot paw pressed against his leg. In ten minutes, it could be arched over his shoulder. But his smile slightly faded. He took a deep breath and then looked over at Judy. She was back at the poker table and still having so much fun, laughing, sitting next to Marcus and Bernhard with a massive pile of poker chips crowding her face. Her optimism and want for approval from other species made Nick appreciate her even more, and as she sat there giggling, her smile made Nick's stomach fill with butterflies. To him, she was the epitome of what it meant to be a mammal, an individual. She was in every sense of the word, "Animal." Her priorities, her love for challenge, and her understanding and empathy for others made Nick want to be a better fox. In all his life, he had never met someone like her, and the logical side of his brain interpreted for him the hypocrisy that was about to take place, that if in fact he truly believed her involvement with another animal would shatter what they had building, his similar actions would result in just the same destruction.

And it was this revelation that made Nick feel a warmth that dug itself into the pit of his stomach. It nestled there are waited. He turned his attention back to Samantha. "You know," Nick started, taking another long drink of his beer, "I wasn't always a cop." There was something in Nick's voice that made Samantha straighten up. She didn't look taken aback, but her demeanor changed in such a way that she knew he was getting at something. She held on to her seduction though— through her eyes and body she still left herself open for Nick, waiting for him to change his course, waiting for him to make a proper move.

"Oh?" she asked.

"I was a sludge ball, really. Been through hell and back. Had a shitty upbringing and thought I could make it big where no one else was willing to, and…other people saw that, so they took me under their wing."

Samantha nodded at Nick, going along with his story, but she was trying to figure out his intent.

"Father figures. Friends. Whatever you want to call them. I tried really hard to get there. I tried to scrape against the grain, you know. Fight the system like they did. And that meant I was associated with a lot of different people along the way. Lotta' different people…lotta' _bad_ people. Now, you might think this path that I took all came from the typical poverty-stricken shithole you see on T.V. A cliché, you know. The…the same story all these lowlifes face. You'd be partially right. But the truth is… _she_ never did realize that when I was left in the car to go to those pubs and bars and dives, that I was very perceptive for my age." Nick took another drink and then breathed deeply. " _Very_ perceptive. I would listen, you see…I had good ears. Still do. I would sometimes sneak in to see what was going on and _hear_ the shit she would say to those random…foxes. It was… atrocious. Pornographic. She took care of me well. But she was like everything else I had come to hate. And eventually I did…" Nick stopped for a moment and could feel his head nodding. He was actually nodding to himself now. No longer was he talking directly to Samantha, or at least he felt as though he wasn't. He tried his mightiest to fend off the glaze that was coming over his eyes. "Pretty impacting stuff for a nine-year-old to hear, I must say. Fuckin'… _fondling_ and…" Nick trailed off for a second. "New fox every night. New fox, new shit, new pieces…new…phrases. And now that I think back on all this…do you know who she reminds me of the most?" Samantha shook her head.

Like a predator, Nick quickly turned his muzzle toward her and stared directly into her eyes. She nearly flinched at his motion. "A whore," he said. "A skanky little piece of chicken, like yourself."

Samantha let out a light gasp, all seduction melting away from her face and body entirely.

"You don't know the first fuckin' thing about me. I could be the worst mistake of your life, and here you sit, like _she_ did, talkin' a big game for some dick you don't even know. All the while, you got someone. And he doesn't know shit. Doesn't know you're what you are. I feel bad for him—I really do. But you know what? I feel worse for _you_. Because you're talking hollow words. And you're gonna' wake up hollow just like those words and just like she did because in the end that's who you really are." Nick downed the rest of his beer. Before he could look at her response, he felt a cool wash of booze hit him in the face. Her glass was now empty, and he could hear her say in a vile tone,

" _Fucking_ asshole!" She angrily rose from her seat and marched out of the bar without saying anything to her friends. They all seemed to notice her leaving and were chatting among one another, some even attempting to follow her and ask what had happened.

Nick stood up and shook his head like a dog. He clapped both hands together loudly and spread his arms out. "I think she likes me!" he shouted to the ceiling.

"I would agree," Thomson suddenly piped out, pointing one finger at Nick with his eyes still glued to the television.

Shaking the excess beer special off his head, Nick made his way to the bathroom where he washed up and took a long look at himself in the mirror. He nodded at his reflection and felt a sudden confidence enter him. He would not be beaten by himself. It would simply not happen. That was the only thing that stood in his way. _Alright, old boy,_ he thought. _Back out there._ He dried off his paws and then stepped out from the bathroom, searching for Judy. He couldn't see her among the group and felt his heart race. Where was she? He scanned over the remaining group of girls. Nothing. Had his nightmare become a reality? Had she been swept away? _Fuck, fuck, fuck,_ his mind roared. His ears suddenly perked up when he heard her voice, and he tilted his head to the side to see her standing close the entrance of the bar with Bernhard. She was nearly pressed up against the wall and Bernhard stood right next to her, seemingly blocking any out she had for room.

Nick's teeth clenched. The worm was holding onto her forearm. But it was not this that caused a fury to boil within Nick. There was something far more angering. This was far worse than holding, far worse than touch. She looked _displeased_. Without any questioning, Nick bee-lined his way toward the two. His sensitive ears, standing straight up, identified every syllable spoken. He could hear Judy say, "No, I can't. Really." He could hear Bernhard say, "C'mon, Carrots. We'll just hang. See what happens." He could hear her say, "Look, you're nice, but I'm just not interested. I'm tired." He could hear him say, "I'm not saying we have to _do_ anything. I just want to see you. Check out your place, you know." And then it happened—the recipe for chaos.

"Bernhard," Judy said with mild frustration, "just let go of me." She tried softly yanking her arm away, but Bernhard's grasp wouldn't allow it.

"C'mon," he said. "Just trust me." His face was so close to hers.

"I said _let go_!" she said more forcefully.

Nick saw red. It was a flash. It filtered in his head and washed over his vision. Nothing anymore mattered. He was brought back to a primal state, to where animal met animal and nothing else—no rationalization, no self-analysis, no compassion. Pure and electric. Hatred at its deepest. It was now that he actually saw Bernhard as true, undisputed _prey_. His paw jerked out to Bernhard and clamped down around the rabbit's bicep, digging into the skin with enough force to cause him to let out a faint gasp.

Nick's mind was racing. It was a speed beyond comprehension. He had just witnessed something he has come to realize as precious to him being tainted. But it was worse than tainted. It was _unwanted_ by her. It was against her wishes. The fear, her ears pinned back, her eyes…it all came rushing in. It was the eyes, just like the eyes of the boy in the Nocturnal District. It was the eyes that spoke the loudest to him.

It was the eyes of his mother.

As Nick stood behind Bernhard, he leaned down toward the male rabbit's ears and let the words just flow from his mouth in a low but stern tone as to not make too big of a scene. "Fuckin' _fuckin'_ let go of her. You hear me? Let your _fuckin'_ hands go. Or else I'll _eat_ you alive, right _here_ , right _now_." Bernhard obeyed, his hands unclasping, and he was trying to turn around, but Nick did him the service of pushing the rabbit's entire arm forward, thereby making him bump against the side of the nearby table and knock over a glass causing it to shatter against the floor. It was a forceful throw, not even close to the full power capable of Nick but enough to give a loud and clear message.

Bernhard flung around with both palms facing out, his hands up in a gesture of fear and defense. "Chill, man," was all the male rabbit could say. "Chill." From a distance, some of the other officers could see the event transpiring.

Marcus, with his ears pinned straight up, slowly walked toward the three and stopped, waiting to see if a fight would ensue. The moment seemed to have given him temporary sobriety.

Nick pointed a claw at Bernhard while his other hand held onto Judy's forearm, putting her behind his back in a show of defense for her. She didn't flinch or falter with Nick's touch, but her eyes still showed how scared she was before her savior arrived. The churning in Nick was surging. He hadn't ever been this angry in his entire life. Not at his mother. Not at his father, whoever the fuck he was. "You…" Nick shook his head, nearly trembling. "You _ever_ do that again…you _ever_ go _near_ her…and I'll _eat you_ _ **alive**_! I'll _fuckin' ravage_ you in front of _every_ one, Hotch!" Nick turned and took Judy out of the pub without another word.

Bernhard stood, his heart beating so hard that it was in his throat, and he couldn't even bring himself to speak as the voices and questions came barraging at him from all angles. To him right now, they sounded of filtered mumbles. To him, they were proof that he had just cheated death.

Outside, Nick was steaming. His walk was brutish, and his face stared ahead at nothing. A void. It was all a void, spiraling, unending.

Judy tried to keep up the pace alongside him by walking closely, still slightly overcome by what had just transpired, but she appeared to be awakened by the whole ordeal. She would every couple of seconds look up at him to try and find the fox she knew so well, but all that remained was this…thing of visceral emotions and power that she had not seen since he faked being savage, nearly biting her throat in an act of spite toward the now incarcerated Dawn Bellwether. Her heart was thumping against her ribcage rapidly because this was no act, not like they had planned out before. There was no stage, no script. All that remained was truth and a lingering decay. His green eyes radiated hatred, pure and ferocious, and his muzzle was in a semi-snarling fashion, his sharp teeth slightly peeking from the black upturned flesh that were his lips. She knew none of this was meant to be directed toward her, but she so desperately wanted the Nick she adored to resurface that she was about to gently hug his arm in an attempt to awake him before he made a quick change of plans.

Out of nowhere, he let out a loud breath and suddenly turned around toward the pub they had just left, his step now getting furious.

"NO!" Judy yelled. She jumped toward Nick and grabbed his forearm. "No, Nick! Jesus, you'll _kill_ him. Just _stop_!" Nick stopped in his tracks and put both hands to his sides. His breathing was still erratic. "Just turn around," Judy begged. "Please! He's a _prick_ , yes, but just _don't_. I…I don't want to see you go to jail." A long breath of air could be heard from Nick. She could see he was now trying to control himself. "Please! Please, Nick!" Judy said, her voice almost cracking. Her eyes were glazed over at the emotional rollercoaster she was experiencing, and she seemed to be a fraction away from breaking into tears.

Nick turned back toward Judy and his face immediately softened at seeing her current state. He then made his way toward her. "Okay," he whispered, waving her to follow. "Let's go." Instinctively, she grabbed ahold of his forearm and hugged it with both arms, walking alongside him. He let out a sigh and put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him as they made their way to her apartment.

There were very little words spoken until they arrived at her door, but there didn't have to be. They both understood what had happened. Unveiling her apartment keys from her pocket, Judy turned to look up at Nick. Their eyes were locked onto one another for a long time. There was utter silence in the hallway, but there was no awkwardness in their staring. She suddenly shot forward, clasping him in a hug, her head nestling into his stomach. He closed his eyes and wrapped both arms around her, letting out a long sigh. The miniscule sniffling sounds coming from her made him smile, but before he could say anything, she incited the first spoken word.

"Don't you _dare_ say what I know you're going to say."

Nick chuckled. "I won't. But you know it's true."

She turned her head and rested it against his stomach. He brought his paw up and rubbed the side of her head gently, trailing along her long, droopy ears.

"You've saved me yet again," she whispered.

"Yes."

"My knight in fuzzy armor." Judy could feel Nick's laugh come from his stomach.

"Go back to your stable house, wench," he said.

They both started laughing and let go of one another. Again, they found themselves standing, staring.

Nick reached his hand out and wiped underneath Judy's eye. He then did something he did not plan on. Uninhibited, unfiltered, it burst forth from his stomach, from the pieces he rearranged, from that pit that was nestled deep down. It was a thing he could only do in his dreams. He leaned toward her and kissed her cheek lightly before whispering, "Good night, Carrots." He turned around and walked toward the stairwell leading out of the apartment building. In that time, everything seemed fake to him. A cardboard cutout for cardboard lives. And it felt _fantastic_.

Had he looked back, he would have seen that Judy's door only closed when he was completely out of sight.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: 10:37**

Sitting at her kitchen table and dressed to the hilt in her police uniform, Judy had not followed her daily routine of turning the television on after waking up in order to scope out any interesting political or national news, and this was solely because of the iPad Tablet that sat upon the table next to her steaming cup of cinnamon-carrot coffee. Her collared blue shirt top had been steam pressed to perfection, and the glimmering badge attached to her vest, beetling her name and number, shone brightly with a flaxen gold tint caused by the reflection from the sunbeam cascading its way through her opened sliding glass door balcony. She had been sitting outside earlier, her eyes closed, taking in the sounds of the city which seemed to be breathing itself awake, bursts of steam and horns and machines sputtering the power cortex that was this magnificent metropolis into a higher gear. The night-shift rotation would take place today, putting her and Nick in a city of darkness and glowing lights, so she felt the need to acquaint herself with its body before they scurried about in the maze. It was, in a strange way, spiritual for her. It brought her closer to the feeling she used to have when back at Bunnyburrow, specifically the times she would step outside to massive rolling hills and a mountainous backdrop among silence—the silence had been delicious to her, she had eaten it up like vegetables, but now she had to make due with seeming disarray. She had to create the silence from the noise, and it was hard to do. But…if she pictured it just right…if she set herself in just the right frame of mind, she was among a field of metal and hills of steel and crisp morning air and _quiet_. It became her home—the closest thing she could come to imagining perfection.

She tapped her light grey claws against the table top.

Her head rested against one of her paws which was propped up by her diminutive elbow.

Nostalgia was not why she sat outside earlier and meditated. It had nothing to do with it. It was not the memory of Bunnyburrow nor the rolling hills nor the idea that this place could somehow inherit her homesickness.

Today was different.

Today she simply needed to talk to her parents.

The FaceTime application buzzed on her iPad Tablet, two of the ringing icons being custom orange carrots, and her bust was brought to a glimmering height when the other end was received by her mother, Bonnie.

"Mom!" Judy burst out.

"Bun-bun!" On the other end of the receiver, Judy's mom was standing in what looked like a darkened and immaculate hospital room filled with "Congratulations!" balloons, and she was holding a small rabbit bundled tightly within a pink blanket, no doubt one of Judy's new nieces. Bonnie's expression was that of her typical jubilance, although she looked exhausted, and it sent a warmth through the homesick bunny to see the familiar face of a rabbit she never double-guessed, making her smile both inwardly and outwardly at admiring the facial features she has come to know like the back of her paw: the light cream splotch around her mother's mouth and high-brow eyes, the flickering pink nose passed onto Judy through strong lagomorph genetics, the passionate and understanding eyes of light purple, and the shorter ears poking atop her head that were not as dark at their tips when compared to many of her other family members. It was all fantastic to see and nearly sent Judy into an emotional state.

"Oh, which one is that?" Judy asked, referring to the newborn.

"This is Sandra!" Bonnie said joyfully. "Say _hello_!" Bonnie held the phone close to the slumbering fuzzy ball and Judy instantaneously melted.

"She's _sooo_ cute!" "Isn't she? Has her mother's ears." "Is Janie there?" "Your sister is sleeping right now, otherwise I'd let you talk to her." "That's okay. How is she?" "Exhausted. I'll tell you, this entire journey brought me back to my first litter, and _boy_ was it rough. I feel for her." "Well, as long as she's okay. By the way, tell her I said 'hey' when you get a chance." "I will." "Okay…" "So, what's up bun-bun? By the way, you look _very_ official!" "Thanks!" "Have you and your partner cracked any new mysteries yet?" Judy giggled. "No, mom. While our first one was definitely mysterious, things aren't really as… _conspiratorial_ as you would think anymore. We're basically top of the line cops now." "Well, that's good." "We're supposed to help out two of our coworkers tonight in staking out an area for drugs." "Oh..." Her mother's voice sounded somewhat concerned.

"But don't worry, we'll be at a distance." "Good." "Yea…so, hey, how's London?" "Oh! The sights are _amazing_! I'll tell you, it sure makes a bunny feel even smaller being at the top of the Eiffel Tower." Judy giggled. "I'll bet." "And your father learned that the food here just does _not_ sit well with him. He's been walking like he's thrown his back out from all the cramps." "Aww, that's too bad." "Too much grease here, apparently. I guess he's just too used to homegrown carrot meals, you know." "I guess so…" Judy began fiddling with one of her ears which now sat against her shoulder. She rubbed the pink lining in a way that made Bonnie's own stand straight mass.

"What's wrong, honey? Something's bothering you." Judy's mouth opened to say something, but she hesitated.

"What is it, Judy?" Judy could hear a scuffle of some kind coming from near her mother.

"Last Friday I went out with some friends," Judy said.

"Yea? And?" "Well, Nick invited me, and we had a really fun time, but…" "Hold up!" Stu Hopps suddenly edged his way in the camera frame, his plump and tall head taking up nearly all of the space. "Are you talking about that _fox_ friend of yours? Did he do something to my little girl?" Judy tilted her head to the side, her eyes sliding down half-lidded in response to her father's brash and imperceptible attitude toward anything affiliated to a predator. It borderline made her infuriated that he, even after being brought to light in regards to the closeness and loyalty his daughter shared and cherished with Nick, still found time for jabs against foxes. Part of her couldn't blame him for it though. After all, his father, Richard Ernest Hopps, in his fairly explicit and current senile state of mind, never found a day busy enough to announce at the crowded dinner table in front of fifty bunny children that foxes were predisposed to the wonderful and kid-friendly genetics of Satan himself. That lifestyle had to have been a routine Stu learned to live with as a young rabbit, and Judy was not naïve enough to think that anyone could simply eliminate those imprinted values at the drop of a hat. But it didn't stop from bugging her to the point of anger. In all honesty, she realized her father could be far worse, and she was just thankful that her mom had been there acting as a catalyst of wisdom more often than not making Judy a witness to her magic of straightening him out whenever he stood too tall on his soapbox; all it took was a little push, and he was back to reality… or at least as close to reality as he could be. Judy peered at the tablet to see that her father's muddy-brown eyes, although looking tired with bags underneath them, were wide, darting back and forth, and his massive pink nose was bouncing around not unlike a school yard ball.

"Good to see you too, dad," Judy puffed out flatly.

"Jude the Dude, you just let us know what happened. If I have to fly directly over there and bring down a case of vulpine-repellant, I will." Stu's stubby rabbit finger was pointing at the camera.

" _Gahhd_ , _Dad_! You're _im_ possible." Judy grabbed both of her ears with her paws and yanked on them. "You haven't even heard me tell you the story yet!" "Go ahead, sweetheart," Bonnie chimed in.

Judy let out a huff and then said, "I was _going_ to say that Nick _saved_ me!" The other rabbits on the line had a perturbed look on their face, Stu especially.

"How'd he do that, sweetie?" Bonnie asked.

"Some guy tried grabbing me in the pub we went to…" Bonnie gasped and Stu ruffled his nose, clearly angry.

"Are you okay?" Bonnie's voice was that of concern and a pinch of fear.

"Yes, I'm fine. The guy was a total jerk. By the way, _dad_ , he was a _rabbit_ , so, so much for your little lessons on the dangers of foxes." Judy felt a momentary bout of regret for treating her father so badly, but his ignorance always seemed to overshadow his sense of judgment, and she desperately wanted him to approve of Nick, so much that it gashed at her emotions.

"How did Nick help, Jude?" Her father's voice was softer, giving Judy a feeling of appreciation that he was at least attempting civility.

"He grabbed the guy. Like, just _latched_ onto him." "Oh, my," Bonnie said, a hand on her mouth.

"He didn't hurt him," Judy quickly said. "He just…I've never seen him that angry before. And it was because someone was…someone was attempting to do something that I didn't want him to do…" Her parents didn't respond and were instead allowing Judy to spill out whatever it was that needed to be said.

"I'm just…" Judy trailed off for a moment, rubbing her head with one paw. She let out a sigh slightly sprinkled with irritation. "I'm just really glad he was there for me is all, and I wanted you guys to know that." "And we're glad he was there for you too, _right_ Stu?" Bonnie nudged her husband's plump side.

Stu seemed to be suddenly broken free from his wandering mind.

"Yes. _Yes_! Absolutely," he blurted out.

"I'm sure he's a fantastic officer and friend," Bonnie said.

"He's…" Judy was trying to place her words correctly, "he's been there a lot for me, you guys. Ever since the Night Howler case. I couldn't have done it without him. And…even after that, he helps me with little things without me even asking him. I just wish he could meet you guys, you know, so you can see he's just more than some _fox_ …" Both sides of the line were quiet.

Stu was the first to speak up, shattering the silence.

"Jude, now you listen to me for a second." Her father's tone changed to complete seriousness.

Judy's ears poked straight up.

"Yes, dad?" "We are _so_ happy that you have found one fox out there who is willing to protect and serve with you. I know I can be…blunt and… _rigid_ at times when it comes to foxes…but I can also recognize when my daughter has made a good decision…" Judy could feel a smile creeping on her face.

"And," her father continued, "we'd love to get him on this chat line sometime so we can thank him personally. Knowing you're an amazing judge of character, if he's half as nice as you say, I'm sure he's absolutely wonderful." Judy rested her chin against the top of her paw, her love for her parents rushing through in waves. Giddy was the only word that could describe her state of being at the moment. It was a small step forward, but it was the best thing she would be willing to get out of her father for now.

"Thanks, dad." Bonnie gave a light squeeze around Stu's arm, a signal that she was proud of him.

"Well, we've got to get going, bun-bun. I think it's lights out for everyone here.

We'll talk to you soon!" Bonnie said.

"Okay, mom. Bye, dad. Love you guys!" "Love you too, honey," they both said.

"Stay safe, sweetheart," Bonnie squeezed in.

"I will." The FaceTime application went black.

Judy sat back in the silence of her apartment, softly rubbing her arm with her other paw. The smile on her face, while still present, was gradually losing its vigor. She felt a small subsection of herself break free from the despondency that put her in a chokehold when she awoke this morning, but in the very same moment, she could not deny that a much larger part of her, seemingly colossal in scope when she thought about it too long, was not satisfied. What still lingered inside of her had been the initial reason she wanted to call. It was true she sought to speak to her parents and relay the events that took place two nights ago, it was true she wanted a familiar face to engage in conversation with, it was true she was homesick, but what she really wanted to communicate had yet to escape her lips. It rested under her tongue, and she feared what would happen when it had enough strength to escape. How could she even begin to do what needed to be done? How could she begin to describe to her parents that she had spent every waking hour for the last two days reliving the rush her body felt, the flutter in her stomach, the clamp in her chest at the sensation of Nick's lips pressed merely against her cheek for what felt like a millisecond? She couldn't. Because they could not grasp its scope, its implications; they would not allow it to filter through. And ever since that night, ever since Nick left through the stairwell, Judy understood that all of these past months of doubting herself was simply a façade she was putting on for the sake of complacency stamped onto the citizens of a city that did not welcome conventionalism toward predators and prey.

She was wearing a mask. She had been for a while now.

And it was all for a city that had once tried to kill her.

A thought suddenly came to her mind: _Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you._

Hadn't that been what she had said when announcing Nick as Zootopia's first fox officer? Did it still hold the same meaning when she first spoke of it? Did it resonate as genuine? _It had to_ , she mused. _If it didn't…_ If it didn't, she was certain everything up until this point would have been a lie.

It would all just be…savage.

She shook her head. Then why was it so difficult to come to terms with what she could feel was happening to her? But that question was foolish. The answer was simple. It lingered in the air and had fangs like a predator gone vicious.

Because this place won't let you.

Because they won't let you.

Since first being partnered with Nick, she always suspected there was something about him she was drawn to; it had been a personality attraction at first—his ability to include her in any situation, his brash and witty way of thinking, his outlook on terrible situations and the seemingly flawless strategies he would adopt to turn them into something funny—and it was all so foreign to her, exotic even, so much so that she had welcomed it with open arms. It eventually got to the point of Judy doing nothing but talking about Nick with her parents during their routine phone conversations, and when they commented about this phenomenon, she would admittedly never realize she had been doing it. Because in reality, she _didn't_ realize she had—it simply _projected_ from her, and she would brush it off as simple excitement at having a new coworker, eventually making excuses, sometimes ridiculous ones. And then, as the two of them spent more and more time with each other, a transformation occurred. Just like a spark, it happened with no warning: no longer was she only magnetized by what he said, but also what he did…and then…and then what he _looked_ like. It could not be denied. She knew it was there, boastful and gargantuan, staring at her with lusty anticipation: a sexual attraction. It followed her when he stepped into the vehicle every morning and she would glance at his chest and legs and handsome facial features, and then when he would enter her apartment in a t-shirt and her eyes would slyly trail along his arms and biceps, and even when he went to grab something in the office and her vision was filled with his tail and toned behind and what he may look like without a shirt on. It was beginning to haunt her and lure her away from having thoughts about any mammal other than Nick. The fact that she had no way of communicating this to another animal made her feel all the more alone and confused.

She suddenly let out a frustrated sigh. She was tired of making mental guesses and needed something tangible to examine.

Her hand reached for her iPhone, and after putting her password in, she scanned through the text messages that were sent over the weekend, pressing her finger on the icon which contained the largest number. She wanted to reexamine the conversation that took place Saturday just to feel a sense of imaginative closeness, to read into the messages with faith that she might find the same frustration she was experiencing on his end.

She looked at her screen, her furry digit scrolling across each message: **Carrots:** Hey, I wanted to thank u again for helping me at the pub.

 **Slick Nick:** No thanks needed. The guy was a fucking jerk. He's lucky you're so understanding.

 **Carrots:** Ya he was. But he was also smashed. I don't know if he would have ever done that otherwise.

 **Slick Nick:** Still no excuse. He'd be rabbit-stew right now if it weren't for u.

 **Carrots:** lol. And u might be in a padded cell right now if it weren't for me too.

 **Slick Nick:** That might be true. By the way, I like how u are trying to twist my act of heroism into your doing. Selfish, selfish girl.

 **Carrots:** lol shut up.

 **Slick Nick:** Again with that knife in my chest. You are an evil one.

 **Carrots:** So…I hope you don't mind me saying but u left so quickly that night.

 **Slick Nick:** I did. Now that u mention it, I did.

 **Carrots:** How come? **Slick Nick:** I guess I was just emotionally drained. I don't know. It just happened. Why do you ask? **Carrots:** I was just wanting to know. It all just took me by surprise. I don't know…I guess I just don't want it to get weird between us.

 **Slick Nick:** Hey, emotional bunny! C'mon! It was just a little peck on the cheek.

I didn't propose to you. Anyway, it wasn't something your mother wouldn't have done, right? **Carrots:** I guess you're right.

 **Slick Nick:** Righty-right.

 **Carrots:** You're right. I'm being dumb. I don't know.

 **Slick Nick:** I mean, picture a world where a fox and a rabbit would get together.

What kind of world would that be? **Carrots:** Would be crazy I guess.

 **Slick Nick:** Would be interesting, that's for sure.

 **Carrots:** I mean people have a hard enough time when a species tries to mix in with a sub-category of their own species.

 **Slick Nick:** True.

 **Carrots:** It kind of makes you wonder why it actually hasn't happened before though. With all the crazy stuff these days, why don't we ever see it? **Slick Nick:** I think the answer is pretty simple actually.

 **Carrots:** What? **Slick Nick:** Because this place won't let you. Because they won't let you.

Judy looked up from her phone.

Because they won't let you.

She shook her head.

Quickly, she set her phone down and moved her paw across the tablet, navigating to the iTunes application. It was one of those rare times where she felt like the silence she has come to love so dearly may actually drive her insane, and in an attempt to fight it off, she made the decision of plugging in some music before she left for the night-shift briefing. Scrolling through the choices, she landed on one of her preferred artists and set it to a favorite song of hers. The tune helped remind her that this place, while jagged in its beliefs, could perhaps overcome its very own hypocrisies in the end; it reminded her that there was creativity in an otherwise tumultuous world, that the one ingredient people could use in in order to fight against pushback was their desire to connect to others and build new things; and most importantly, it reminded her of a simple thing she had almost forgotten about, something she held close to her as an up and coming officer, something that got her to where she was…hope. As she rose from her seat and trailed along her apartment, she found herself glancing at her furniture for no apparent reason. Everything looked like a rock to her right now, rigid and lifeless—a spider den where shadows were eaten. Her eyes scanned from one furnishing to another and then rested upon the newly organized bookshelf where she looked to the bottom shelf at the trashy _Forgotten Desire_ novella hunkered in between more notable pieces of literature. She smiled at remembering Nick's expression when he had picked it up—he had looked so good standing there in her apartment, so chivalrous, and she was sure he hadn't noticed her sneaking in glances at his figure during the entire time he worked for her. She moved on, scooting over to a small shelf where one of her favorite photographs of Nick and her rested in a small gold frame, and she couldn't help but smile at how the image had been birthed: during their Howler case she had caught him off guard in the lower district as he attempted to take a selfie; she had leapt forward and jumped up onto his back, clasping her arms around his neck, and right as he took the photograph, it had captured a confused, nearly cross-eyed Nick in his Hawaii style shirt and tie and a vibrant Judy practically attached to his head like a Siamese twin.

She thought he deleted the photo.

She was sure of it.

That is, until he sent it to her as a text after becoming partners.

Because they won't let you.

Judy breathed out, rubbing a small sheen of dust off the photograph frame.

She shook her head again and then turned to gather her work materials.

After downing the rest of her coffee in a single gulp, she turned off the music, set her 9 millimeter GLOCK in place, made sure her mace and ZPD-Taser were secure, and then jangled the keys in her hand on her way out the door.

It was time for work. The brooding would need to wait for later.

The night was calling, and it sometimes was not pretty.

"Fields!" "Here, sir." "Mackleway!" "Yah." "Delgato!" "Present." "Wolford!" "Yep." "Hopps!" "Here!" "Wilde!" "Be careful how you pronounce that name, sir." There was a small titter among the group of seated officers.

Bogo stopped taking roll and lowered his reading glasses so that he could look up and give a simple shake of his head to Nick.

The smile spread upon the fox's face was gargantuan, every inch of his teeth showing. Both of his paws were clasped together and his ears stood straight up.

To his left, Judy's tiny grey and white paw was over her mouth, stifling a grin.

What had just happened was an ongoing inside joke, but the joke of the matter had been that everyone was in on it at his point.

"One day, Officer Wilde," Bogo said. "Just _one_ damn day I'd like a regular, orderly roll-call. It's not a lot to ask. For Bovine's sake, can't you do that for me? Like, as a courtesy? As an animal to another animal, can't you do that for me, please?" Nick spread his arms. "And tarnish my reputation for introductory quips and puns? Sir, that is simply asking _too_ much." Bogo eyed the clock and then adjusted his reading glasses. It could have very well been the angle he stood at, but Nick could've sworn the chief had what appeared to be the slightest of amused looks on his face. " _Now_ we're wasting time…to be continued, Wilde." Nick lowered his head in fake shame.

"Oppelt!" Bogo started again.

"Right here." The night shift debriefing room, where the officers sat pack-jammed in like sardines, was wide and lifeless, every inch of it either covered in plastered white walls or quarterly crime informational posters or whiteboards scribbled with red markers charting suspects and pending high-priority cases. A series of long rectangular tables rested upon the clean white-tiled floor and helped prop up each officer's water bottles, coffee, energy drinks, and any other booster brought along as an assistant for the arduous night of patrolling ahead; each officer knew the game, knew the rounds, and for a lot of them it was simply a battle of readjusting their internal clocks in an attempt to train their bodies to yet again shift into a routine that would end once they were used to it. That seemed to be the bulk of their lives—routine and readjustment and more routine. The thick windows to the eastern side of the room were mirroring everyone's attitude by nearing a sleeping stage, their blinds lethargically leaning down and nearly shut entirely, and very little light appeared to seep through as a result of the dim blue twilight overtaking every inch of the cityscape outside. Nick was scanning his eyes around all of these sights, simply thankful that he wasn't a sole trooper when it came to night-shift rounds because having someone to talk to helped make the ten-hour duty much more bearable. And the fact that the animal he would be sharing this time with is Judy simply was icing on the cake. He was trying not to think too deeply about the conversation he and Judy had had via text the night after the incident, and the reason was he feared he might interpret everything that was said incorrectly; it had been, what he felt, a profound exchange and a territory they'd never traversed as far as conversations went. In no way did he feel strange around her, but rather his curiosity about her inquiries made him feel all the closer to her, as if they could now tell each other secrets from within that they would not have before. She had been curious. That was the thing that struck Nick the most.

Why don't we ever see it? At least the curiosity was there.

He glanced over to see that she was fixated on Bogo.

"Fangmeyer!" "Yea, chief." "Hotch!" "Here." "Pennington!" "Yes." Bogo's sacred podium rested untouched by any appendages other than his own, and it stood tall at the front of the room, his papers stacked in orderly fashion for the evening prepping. He would shuffle through them, his massive buffalo arms shifting underneath earthy gray-black fur, and then clear his throat before announcing the docket before dismissal. His demeanor—rigid and cool and at times merciless for the sake of being the commander-in-chief—had definitely lightened up since the revolutionary news-cycles of the Zootopia Police Department successes circulated every major network weeks after cracking the Howler case. The positive feedback had put him in an even better stance with the mayor than he had before and docked on a hefty friend bonus, so he couldn't help but feel anything but pride in knowing he headed the greatest department on this side of the world. Ever since hiring Nick, he could not find it in himself to dislike the shiftiness and resourcefulness that the vulpine had come packaged with, specifically his uncanny ability to hone in on anyone shady enough to evade the eye of a cop who didn't have nearly twenty years of experience out on the streets. These types of people could seemingly sniff each other out and Bogo recognized that as an asset especially in regards to what was going on now… even though it might have meant the occasional wisecrack at his expense during meetings.

The cape buffalo had behind him a large hanging map of Zootopia's various districts and precincts tacked with a spider web of red strings and pictures charting possible drug distributors paired with their whereabouts. Many of the photographs were ragged aye-ayes with their trademark eyes: a single black pupil floating in a deep pool of yellow. As per the reinstated Mayor Lionheart, it was Bogo's upmost priority for his force to patrol the streets and communicate with this particular species in an attempt to counterattack the influx of the newly synthesized crack-cocaine drug the animal kingdom has come to know as Haowl. The small, white, plastic-looking drug shards were usually found in miniature zip-lock baggies stamped with a cartoon style mouth that flashed white fangs, looking like something a child might have drawn at school while ignoring a lecture. While packing the rushing affects one would experience taking cocaine, the hybrid substance seemed to cause its users to experience a sensational euphoria juxtaposed by violent outbursts nearly in a manner associated with Phencyclidine; in fact, some of the other officers on the force, Marcus included, had seen its dirty work done through cases of broken car windows and perpetrator's shattered paws. It was, in all sense of the phrase, a powerhouse drug, and anyone associated with it who did not know what he or she was getting into usually wound up hurt or worse. Up until this point, Nick and Judy have not had any close encounters with the drug other than taking in several suspects who were later charged with distribution and intent to sell.

Tonight, the fact that they were going to assist in a special assignment in the Nocturnal District could very well mean their tally might increase tenfold.

"Alright, folks, I want to make this quick and painless," Bogo started, all small chatter immediately halting at his command. He tapped at his clipboard. "First item on the docket: Lawrence Reid with the DEA debriefed you all on possible whereabouts and methodologies behind the movement and distribution of the Haowl drug. Again, it can be found in baggies like these." Bogo held up an empty bag example for a moment, making sure everyone got another glimpse of it and the childlike insignia branded on its transparent body in blue ink. "As discussed by him, you are to be alert for any sketchy activity on the streets during the night hours by stand-alone aye-ayes and owls. They have been known to be the primary 'legs' of the drug. Regardless of the _type_ of individual you stop, we do know these hustlers seem to work as rogues and keep a low profile, so keen eyes are essential." Bogo seemed to be staring directly at Nick when he said the last part. He continued by saying, "Given the limited information we know, we cannot say for sure who may be heading the operation, if it's a combined effort, or where the shipping of these drugs are coming from." One of the officers raised his hand.

"Snarlof," Bogo called.

"Do we know yet if the Shaw lead has any legs?" "No we don't. That's still pending as of now. Wolford and Higgins have been briefed on everything that's been going on and will dispatch tonight undercover to assist the others. Hopps and Wilde will be their bird's eye tonight. We're hoping to see some movement soon." In the back of the room, the undercover Timber Wolf was scratching the thick mounds of white and black tangled fur surrounding his broad neck and had resting on him an aye-aye costume not quite put on all the way, hanging from below his breast which was covered in a blue ZPD t-shirt. Higgins, his consistent partner-in-crime, was donned in casual street clothes and adjusted a large, fake, brown beard that clung around a rounded hippopotamus face topped off with large black-rimmed prescription glasses. Their reputation for being walking chameleons preceded them in such a way that it would have been an error on Bogo's part to not make them a part of the most current trail the department was sniffing out, and the fact that they would be paired with Nick and Judy acting from a distance as a scope of their movements made them a force not to be reckoned with.

"Okay," Snarlof said, ending his inquiry.

"At any rate," Bogo continued, "we need to be diligent and supportive. Any new information must be reported back to HQ asap. That could very well mean the difference between a successful capture or evasion. Everybody got that?" A nod of every officer's head rang the approval.

"Good. Second item: Connie is out sick tonight, so if you want to turn in any reports or tickets, you'll want to swing by William's office before you start your shift. I want clean and safe roads tonight, folks. Don't let anything escape you.

Be proud to be a part of the system that makes this place of predators and prey work." He let the last part of his instruction sink in with everyone and then continued with, "Let's make it a good one. Questions?" Statuesque bodies gave Bogo the signal to proceed.

"Dismissed!" he announced in his gruff tone.

Every officer immediately rose from their seat, some grabbing their drinks or paperwork and began to shuffle out. Wolford quickly snapped his costume over his head, adjusted the headpiece, moved his fake yellow eyes about to make sure they registered properly, and then gave a series of quick hand slaps, similar to a secret handshake, to Higgins.

"Let's rock," Wolford said.

"Hell yea," Higgins responded in a fake foreign accent.

On their way out, Wolford sauntered next to Nick and gave him a pat on the back.

"Beast, you and Firecracker got us tonight?" "You know it," Nick responded. "Any word or mess, we'll roll in and clean it up."

"Alright, man. See you two in the fray." They gave each other a swift fist bump before Wolford turned and walked out with Higgins, working ahead to set up their post in the Nocturnal District before their backup arrived.

In the distance, Bogo's large lugging frame came walking toward Nick and Judy.

"Wilde! Hopps!" "Yes sir," they said in unison, immediately straightening their postures.

Bogo knelt down and put a hand on each of their shoulders.

"You two keep your eyes peeled. I'm not kidding when I say I _only_ put my best officers on the highest priority cases. Understood?" "We won't let you down, chief," Judy said.

"Don't get that floppy tail of yours in a mess, sir. We've got this," Nick said with a smile.

Bogo's minute smirk gave them enough of a response they needed. He patted both of their shoulders and then rose to leave the room.

Nick straightened his uniform out and then turned to Judy.

"You ready?" "Not yet," she said with a small sigh, flipping through a ream of papers in her hand. "I need to drop off some stuff to William first. I'll meet you in the office before we head, okay?" "Sounds good." Nick turned to walk out the door but then spun around suddenly.

"Want something from the snack machine? You look a little frazzled." Judy could feel a smile coming over her face at remembering she had told her parents Nick did little things for her without her asking.

Nick raised one dark red eyebrow, perplexed. "What?" he asked.

"Nothing," Judy said. "I just thought of something random. And now that you mention it, I wouldn't complain if you had a Red Bull in your paw once we got started." "Rocket fuel for rabbits? I don't know if I approve. That sounds like a heartattack waiting to happen…" "That's okay, you can save me if I pass out." Judy could feel the sentence catch in her throat as soon as it wafted passed her palate, and she immediately had to accept the fact that she had been thinking it but didn't intend the words to actually flow from her; it was another one of those moments where she could feel her emotions taking over rather than the part of her brain that filtered everything else through. She could not help but rapidly peer left and right to make sure no one else heard her. Thankfully, every other officer had departed.

She tried her hardest to mentally combat the blush she knew was overtaking her, but when her purple eyes slowly shifted up to see Nick's reaction, she felt herself put in an even more awkward positon at seeing his muzzle upturned in a smirk that made her feel as though he was admiring her.

His signature look of confidence was positively beaming.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you, Carrots?" he asked slyly before turning around and leaving.

Judy was left standing with a sheen of red overtaking her fur. She cleared her throat, quickly shuffled her papers together, and made her way toward the ticket processing section of the debriefing station in an attempt to outrun her embarrassment.

Her mind prodded her: _Cheese and crackers! Did you honestly just say that out loud!? Stupid, dumb bunny! Stupid! Stupid!_ At this point, all she wanted to do was turn in her tickets and pretend like the entire scene didn't just play out.

But it did, and it seemed like Nick had yet again won another round. And what was even more profound was that she had not denied his question.

Her silence had been her answer.

Several halls down, feeling good with himself, Nick navigated through the building to one of the soda and juice machines. He took from his wallet a dollar, fed the crisp bill in the slot, and then picked out the drink Judy requested. While doing so, he caught his faint reflection from the glass on the machine and saw just how deeply affected he was through his eyes; they spoke to him about a challenge he never imagined he would have to face up until now, a battle that did not involve scandal nor danger nor money, but rather pure, unfettered emotion.

Never had he experienced something of this magnitude; the only thing that came close was when he lived in his old home with his mother, but that had been a different emotional match. He'd contemplated many times that Friday night, after making his way back home, to turn around, climb the stairs to her apartment, knock on her door, and then take her in a deep and relentlessly passionate kiss when she answered. And it terrified him. The act itself did and the aftermath even more: how would they begin to cope with life in general on a scale that could even come close to normalcy if that happened? Would things transpire into a torrent of questions, trials and tribulations…discrimination even? The thought alone of even attempting to hold hands in public made him feel queasy, and it was in all of these flashes of scenarios and doubts and impositions in his mind that he realized just how much he sometimes hated his over analytical brain's inability to flow with his body. Everything in him told him to pursue what he wanted—he was a predator after all—but in the same stride he couldn't bring himself to do so. He clutched the Red Bull in his paw, trying to surge some energy out of himself and into the inanimate object. He walked through the ghost-white halls to the bullpen offices where he sat down in his chair before scrounging through his paperwork to double check on any documents he might need to turn in.

Complication was such a bitch.

He thought he'd escaped it after discarding the life of a conman, but in reality it only exacerbated things.

After grabbing a paperclip, heard a light knock behind him.

Turning his seat around, he saw Marcus standing in the doorway with a neutral look on his face. He had one hand in his pocket.

"Nick, can I talk to you?" Nick slightly tilted his head to the side and then said, "Sure thing, man." He flipped through two of his arrest logs before setting them on his lap. "What's up?" "So, you know…about Friday…" Nick put his paw up and closed his eyes before saying, "Listen. I had a blast other than the little issue that happened. Seriously. I never did get a chance to thank you for the invite. And I hope that what happened won't prevent you from ever inviting me to something again. I really do like hanging out with you guys." "No, no! Not at all. Shit, man. We _all_ had a blast." "Yea?" "Yea. And about that other thing. You know, I've talked with Bernhard, and he's really sorry, and he— "Listen, Marcus," Nick interrupted, setting his papers aside and crossing his paws together. He leaned back in his chair. "I love having you as a friend.

Seriously, you're really fun to be around, and I know you don't like conflict, which is why I admire you. You're like a happy medium for everyone; it's…I couldn't do that with certain animals, so naturally I'm somewhat envious. But…I also do know that because you don't like conflict, you're willing to speak on behalf of that little shit. And as a friend, I probably would have too." Marcus was nodding, waiting for Nick to relay his point entirely. "But here's the thing: I don't _care_ what his excuse was, I don't care if he claims he was drunk, I don't care what his _intentions_ were. He did what he did. It was his choice. All I know is Judy was freaked out more than I'd seen her in a while, and she clearly didn't want it to happen…and that's all I need to know. He played his cards that night; it wasn't a pretty hand. That tells you a lot about a person…more than you can imagine. I would know. And as far as how the future will look, rest assured I'll come running to him if we ever get a 10-00. I'm not even shittin' you. I'll be the first to rush there and help him. But…outside of the line of duty, if that little fucking _prick_ comes near me, or worse, _her_ , you're going to be picking me up in one of the rigs and it'll be the worst day of our lives. That's what I know. And I think that's something he should know too." Nick looked down at his papers in his lap and slowly began adjusting them in order.

The office was ghostly quiet for a moment until Marcus spoke up.

"It's...it's just a shame that it has to be like this." His voice was distraught yet an understanding remained in its crevices.

"Hey, I'll be the first to tell you I don't like it either. I'd rather just move on, but he's put himself here. It was his doing. And now we're…in this place. If he wanted limbo, well…he got it." "Yea." "And…" Nick stopped in an attempt to find how he wanted to phrase the next part of his conversation. "I just wouldn't be true to myself or true to my partner if I pretended like it didn't happen." Marcus nodded and leaned against the doorframe. He seemed to be taking in everything that was said.

"You know," he began, "she's very lucky to have a partner like you." Nick's maw slithering into a smile was the only response.

"I'm serious!" Marcus said, his own canine-toothed grin coming to fruition. He put his paw up to his chest. "Loyalty is a harder thing to find these days than you'd think. I mean, I know as officers we usually are, but out there, man, it's a circus. You two are something else, I'll tell 'ya." "Thanks, Marcus." Marcus turned his head to look down the hallway and then eyed Nick. His voice lowered an octave, a tone reserved solely for gossip, and his tail flicked behind him in apparent excitement.

"By the way, Amy told me that Samantha blew up in your face and not in the way that I thought would happen." Nick laughed. "Yea, you could say that. I have to tell 'ya though: being called a 'fucking asshole' was not a first on my list, so I didn't quite take it as hard as someone else would have." "Ha! Well, I was told by Amy the night after that there's all sorts of wrong with that girl. Like skeletons in the closet and then some, so it was probably for the best. What'd you say to her anyway?" "I basically, probably, might have sort of called her a whore." Marcus threw his head back and let out a laugh.

"That'll do it…that would do it, my friend," he said.

"Yea, let's just say she was a _little_ more than pissed." "I bet." "She wasn't my type anyway," Nick said flatly.

Marcus crossed his arms and stood for a while. His face morphed back into a neutral expression and his eyelids slid down into crescent moons. "Speaking of which, man. I was wondering…I mean…don't take this the wrong way…" Nick looked up at Marcus, waiting.

"Do you and— "Hey Marcus!" a voice cheerily said.

Marcus's entire body flinched at the sudden interruption that appeared down by his thigh. He looked to see Judy standing by the doorframe.

"Shit, Hopps! Damn near scared me to _death_!" "Sorry!" she laughed. She stuck her thumb toward the hallway exit and was looking directly at Nick. "Hey, we need to head out. Bogo says Wolford and Higgins will need to check in on their mics soon." Nick rose from his seat and patted Marcus's back on the way out.

"Duty calls, Fields. I'll see you later." "Alright. You guys be safe now." "Always," Nick said, throwing his voice behind him.

While walking down the hall to the parking garage, Judy looked at Nick and said, "So…what'd Marcus have to say about things?" Nick thought for a moment of avoiding the crux of the conversation, but his respect for his partner overrode even white lies.

"He said Bernhard was sorry for everything. I told him I don't want to see that prick outside of our duties and that if he came near you shit would go down." Judy was quiet.

She said after a moment, "I hope that doesn't happen…" "Me neither. The little bastard is stupid, but I don't think he's _that_ stupid. You just let me know if he tries pulling any shit with you. I'll straighten his ass out if he does." Again, Judy was silent, and when Nick looked down at her, he saw that her face could have been holding in an inner smile of satisfaction.

At least that's what he hoped.

The two officers made their way to the parking garage, and entered their vehicle.

Judy jangled the keys in her hand and then started the car.

"Ready for a fantastic night on the town?" Nick joked.

"If by fantastic you mean scoping out the scum of the earth, then yes." "Couldn't have said it better myself." Judy set the car in reverse and then they were off.

On their way over, Nick couldn't help but watch everything zoom by with a look of content impressed upon his face.

At night the city was among one of the most glorious landmarks an animal could imagine; it stood at the epicenter of what was a mesh of landmasses that had no business associating with one another—frozen mountains to the north, rolling hills to the south, lush rainforests to the west, and lifeless sands to the east—but the true beauty sung out of this metropolis's metallic mouth when it dressed itself for the occasion in jewels and gold and twinkling lights during the darkest hours.

Markets jostled, nightclubs blasted Urban Tribe's "Her" from surround sound systems the size of boats, and skyscrapers of chrome and steel and rebar designed by the newest and greatest architectural innovators of this time twisted and piked upward like spears held by warriors, but these weapons of war were more than merely a tool and had been adorned in vibrant neon lights that strobed or stayed stagnant for all to admire. Beauty paired with ferocity—an interesting contradiction, but Zootopia, this haven of parallels and paradoxes, was the only place that could pull it off effectively. Transit systems wound their way into the body of the city and followed along busy cars and automated street lights. Nick and Judy were only one of the many thousands of these busy cars currently trying to maneuver their way in and out of the city, and as his partner attempted to steer her way to their desired point of interest, Nick took quick bits of moments to look over and admire her figure barely illuminated by the outside chaos shining in the driver side window.

Wolford and Higgins's objective tonight was to stake out one of the heaviest known areas to exchange Haowl, the Nocturnal District Quadrant 2. It was a dilapidated scab of Zootopia, an urban nightmare where small street side markets were overtaken by hustlers and swift selling dope slingers who would loiter against building walls with toothpicks in their mouths just so that they could lure teens into an alleyway where they would exchange the latest and greatest drug for pocket cash in the hopes of getting them hooked. Because that's all it took: one time, one hit, and you came crawling back like a prostitute desperate for money. In here, in this place of perfect imperfection, that was the new circle of life. Bringing in any person affiliated with the drug and parading them with questions was the only weapon the department had in its arsenal, and so far, all of the leads have either turned out dead from lack of evidence or verified false by outside parties. After their first dangerous incident working together, Nick and Judy were actually happy they would not be the ones going into the field— being nearly mauled by a jaguar and playing Tarzan in the Rainforest District was enough action for either of them for a long, long while, and Bogo had enough sense to recognize and accept their want for a more moderate policing routine. Nick was looking out of his passenger side window at the trash getting caught in the drain systems and the garbage piling into mountainsides in between each building; it looked of a war zone blasted into oblivion. Among most of the quadrant subsections in Zootopia, this one was by far the filthiest.

It reminded him a bit of his home before he had left for good.

It reminded him of a shattered vixen.

A crackling sound emitted from the radio in their vehicle and Wolford's voice rang through.

"We're at point. You read me?" Nick's ears perked up and he grabbed the two-way radio currently tapped into Wolford and Higgins's mics.

Judy idled the vehicle into an alleyway set next to a small fenced off parking lot.

They had a perfect view of where the two undercover officers were staked out.

Pleased with her positioning, she turned off the vehicle engine.

"10-4," Nick responded. The audible click of the signal dying after sending and receiving a message sounded off.

"Alright," Wolford started, "gonna' be real discreet after this. Area seems like a hot bed." "Roger." Judy had a pair of binoculars out and would occasionally look in them at the disguised Wolford and Higgins. They seemed to be standing near a dimly lit section of packed convenience stores so close to one another they appeared to be one outlet. Wolford's aye-aye suit was impeccable and Higgin's clothes and disguise put him in good stances as no one who walked by them seemed to do any double-takes.

"Well…time to sit and wait," Judy said, putting the binoculars in her lap.

"The excitement is too much for me to handle." Judy giggled and then reached over to take a swig of her Red Bull.

"Thanks for this, by the way," she said tipping the can toward Nick.

"Not a problem. You looked like you needed it." "Yea…" Judy trailed off.

They were both mute for a lapse of time.

"So, what's up?" Nick queried, breaking the silence. "You just tired? I know switching back and forth can be a bitch at times." "Partially. Yea. You could say that's part of it." "And what else?" "I don't know," Judy sighed. "I guess…I guess I'm just thinking about what's going to happen when Bernhard tries to apologize to me. You know it's going to happen sooner or later, even with him knowing you don't approve. I mean, how am I supposed to act?" " _Supposed_ to? I'd imagine you'd react by how you _feel_." "I know…" Judy stopped for a second. "But…what if what I feel is the need to accept his apology? I mean, I don't like the idea of there being bad blood in the department." Nick had both of his paws behind his head and was leaned back in his seat.

"Well…then…that's what you'll do, I guess." "Do you think that would be the right choice?" Judy was looking directly at Nick now.

"Not if it's something you truly don't feel deep down. Personally, I know _I_ don't want that dick-wad around me, period. Not after that crap he pulled. But…I mean if you really don't feel as though he meant anything by it, you're left to do what you want." "Hmm…" Judy was deep in thought, not satisfied yet.

Nick caught onto this and turned his body slightly toward her. "Listen," he started, "I don't want you to think accepting his apology would somehow insult me. Because it won't, trust me. I'm a big boy. I can handle it. You make _your_ own decision. Don't let someone else control your life; that shit's too complicated and annoying. It can fuck you up royally and just make you bitter in the end. Do what _you_ want. If you'll feel better knowing he isn't constantly looking at you for approval, then give him the courtesy of accepting his lame-ass apology." Judy's auxiliary incisors shone in the darkness of the car, a true tell sign she was beaming with a wide smile.

"That sound okay?" Nick asked.

Judy's eyes were now half-lidded. Even in near darkness, she looked stunning to Nick, and he tried to battle the impulse to reach over and gently touch her face with his paw.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she asked in a gentle tone.

He turned back and leaned in his seat.

"Because you have that effect on me, Fluff." He clasped both paws together and was fiddling with his thumbs in order to keep them at bay. His face lit up and he suddenly said, "It must be that _cute_ little button nose of yours." "Oh, _whatever_!" Judy laughed and reached over only to playfully slap Nick's shoulder.

Still smiling, she raised the binoculars to her head again and looked over at the stakeout point.

"They're talking to someone," she said with seriousness in her voice.

Nick straightened up in his chair.

Judy handed him the binoculars and he peered through them. Two tall aye-ayes, both looking ragged and scruffy and painfully skinny, were talking with the disguised Wolford and Higgins. By the looks of things, the conversation seemed to be flowing organically and neither party seemed too rigid in their body stances or quick in their hand movements to hint at any shenanigans taking place. This was a good sign—perhaps their capture of more Haowl customers would be easier tonight than they had initially thought; the only problem though was that the two officers could not initiate the first word of selling a drug they did not have because of the possibility of entrapment. It was now the move of these two.

They would have to dig their own graves.

After several minutes, the two aye-ayes walked off.

"Dead end," Wolford's voice projected through the radio. "Fuckin' punks were tryin' to hustle _us_ but not for the good stuff. We'll nail 'em another day." "Should've called me over there," Nick said.

"Ha. And let you screw with the vibe? Sorry, red-man, but no go there. You just sit back and watch masters at work." "Masters? For your information, Oh-Great-One, if you slouched your shoulders slightly and leaned your elbow against the railing next to you, you might look more inviting and attract more buyers." There was a long pause. "…fuck off…" "Love you too, you big fuzz-ball." "10-4." Nick set the radio down and looked back at Judy. She was smiling at Nick's banter with Wolford.

"So…what else is new in the life of Miss Hopps?" "What's else is new," she repeated distantly. Her face shed itself of her jovial expression, not entirely but enough to notice.

"Yea." She gave this some thought and appeared to be debating whether or not to say what was on her mind as revealed by her mouth which opened for only a moment but then clamped shut in the same breath. Nick had seen this reaction of hers before and found it amusing, incredibly cute even, to the point where he would simply look at her and feign waiting for a response, but in reality, his eyes would scope out every sensual part of her, from her slight yet toned frame to the dark grey tips of her ears and even the cream white pattern of white fur on the insides of her paws. After their text session during the weekend, he made a pact with himself to stop fighting the undeniable fact that he was, by every measure of the phrase, attracted to her, and rather than make excuses for himself, he began to wallow in the feeling it gave him like a swine in mud; it was utterly intoxicating, surreal yet fitting, and made him feel like a grade-school kit experiencing his first crush. Some might even call it freeing. How could it be anything but right for him to want to feel a sense of satisfaction for someone who not only saved his life but also taught him how to be more compassionate? For someone who taught him to be true with himself? It couldn't be anything else. It simply couldn't. And he was beginning to feel a courage perpetuate itself within him; the same type of courage he created for himself over and over again in the past when things went awry, when the heat got too overwhelming, when his demons attempted to usurp his upbeat personality. She made this happen. It was her doing, and her face, even when confronted with uncertainty, told him he could begin to feel this way and not be afraid.

It spoke to him with no words and whispered without making a sound.

But then it did.

"Well," she began, clearing her throat, jolting him from his mental chamber, "remember how you and I were having that… _hypothetical_ conversation about… interspecies relationships?" This caught the fox off guard. What came out of his mouth was more of a sharp breath of air rather than a response.

Judy continued with, "And then you said 'because they won't let you' when I asked why we never see it?" His heart skipping a beat, Nick could feel his chest tightening and hoped his ears hadn't perked up too high although he was sure it was already too late.

"Yes," he was all he said in a monotone voice. "I remember." "I was curious after that. I mean, you know how I am. I like to research whenever I'm not sure about certain facts…" Judy seemed to be prefacing whatever it was she was getting at and Nick picked up on this based on her tone. She was looking at random objects in the car, not quite making eye contact with him.

"Yea?" Nick asked.

"Yea. So…I searched on Google and figured out that according to the Zootopia Bureau of Statistics, in this city alone, as much as twelve percent of the population could very well be living secret relationships with another species." Nick's brows furrowed. He sat thinking about this for a moment and what eventually slid out of his maw was simply, "You serious?" "So says last year's anonymous polls," Judy shrugged.

Nick's claw scratched at the side of his muzzle. His bewilderment and fascination muddled his facial features.

"Twelve percent," he repeated.

"Twelve." Judy's voice was distant.

"And, like…what do they do?" "What do you mean?" "I mean…day-to-day. Like, how do they function?" "I don't know," Judy said, shaking her head. "They probably just live normal lives in the presence of others, but in private…well, you know..." Nick looked over at Judy to see she was staring at the steering wheel. He thought she could very well be blushing based on how low her ears were drooping down and her head which closed in near her shoulders.

"What's even crazier is the fact that you said 'in this city alone'," Nick said.

"I know…" "I guess those animals aren't letting the 'because this place won't let you' attitude screw with their heads." "I guess so. But they sure are keeping it hidden." Nick looked down.

No other words were spoken after that. Both animals stayed quiet for a long time and instead let the outside world sing its song of car engines and horns and machinery.

An exchange, a breath, a murmur, an alternative route of conversation; that's all it took to divert elsewhere, but neither of them took the initiative.

Instead, they let what was building churn and bubble. They let it fester.

Because in this place of perfect imperfection it would forever be there. It would make itself a home, and neither wanted it to leave.

Not a move. Not a glance. Not a word.

The moment remained in the void.

And then something happened they did not anticipate: it was gone as fast as it came.

"This place," Nick suddenly said, "can be cruel, can't it." "Yea," Judy agreed.

"But at the same time, its…strange how it draws you in." Judy was looking out of her driver side window. She thought of the dead boy.

"It makes you like it, then it bludgeons you every once in a while," she said.

Nick nodded.

"But we can't really do anything other than roll with it," he said.

"True…" "How do you manage to do that?" She turned her body and actually laid herself on her side as much as one could in a vehicle seat, putting both paws against her cheek like they were small pillows.

Being able to talk in such serious strides with the fox sitting next to her was something she could only do with him and no one else. It gave her a sense of comfort to know he could console her even when she didn't necessarily need it.

This had been a slow progression, the ability to do this with one another, and while they may have spoken seriously during their first case, it did not compare to the verbal intimacy they were building upon each time they initiated a heartto- heart conversation. It was a thing good friends did, but it was also something very good friends may have a hard time doing. And it was in that very thought that either of them had difficulty figuring out where they stood on the spectrum of closeness. If it was charted, if they could physically see it, what might have been revealed could be terrifying.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"What do you do to fight…to fight against all the bullshit?" "I don't know. I guess what everyone else would do. You know…thinking, movies, inspiration, cheesy stuff. Meditation on my balcony. I don't know. What do _you_ do?" "Apart from masturbation?" For a moment, Judy remained quiet, slightly taken aback, and then burst into laughter. Nick joined her almost immediately. They must have looked ridiculous from a passerby, rolling around in a cop car seat like schoolchildren, laughing unabashedly, but they didn't hold back. She grabbed ahold of her tiny stomach and then wiped her eyes when she managed to calm down.

A sigh escaped her mouth and she settled back in her original position.

"Yes, dumb, perverted fox," she said, "apart from that, what do you do?" "Well…" he thought for a moment, trailing off, and then blurted out, "a good song." "A song?" "Yea. Something that gets you going." He was suddenly nodding as if agreeing with himself. "Yea! _Music_ , right? That's big for most animals, I think." "Music," Judy said, her tone suggesting she was agreeing with him. "That's definitively a big one. I do that too." "But not that Gazelle stuff…" Nick said, eyeing her.

Judy gave Nick a slight look of disapproval, and he chuckled at her lowered brows.

"Hey! Don't hate me because I'm…picky," Nick said. "She's okay at times, but you _know_ there's better stuff out there!" "Okay," Judy said while rolling her eyes, "I'll give you that." "Give me one other than her," Nick said with a smile.

"One better than her…" "Yea. One you actually legitimately enjoy. Something that helps you forget. Stuff you dance to in your apartment without anyone seeing you." Nick thought of that mental picture as soon as it flew from his mouth, and he couldn't help but envision she would do so in nothing but a lacy, very risqué bra and panties. For fear of establishing himself into a froth, he tried to shake off the fantasy, but his efforts were all for naught: he couldn't help picturing that wellexercised frame of hers, miniscule in stature yet fitting in the right areas, slowly gyrating left and right without a single care imprinted upon any part of her; she would be doing this in the very same living room he had been in only days ago, upon the very same carpet he had set his paws on as he had sat on her couch pretending like nothing was happening in his mind with her. Deeper. Yes. Down there. Now. Going in even deeper, he invented the idea that perhaps she would be edging her backside against him as he stood behind her, his hands hovering around her rounded flesh and then they would find themselves slowly wrapping around the curve of her hips in an effort to grasp ahold of her so that he may lean his head down toward hers from behind; so close, a heat lingering between their breaths, a slight moan escaping from her lips. _Stop it!_ His mind brought him out of his reverie and did so by guiding his eyes back up toward something lacking any eroticism: the two officers staked out near the convenience store were still standing, waiting, and Nick noticed that Wolford had actually taken Nick's advice by leaning his body against the railing and was adding in his own casual display of nonchalance by twisting what could have been a piece of string between his fingers although it was hard to tell at this distance without the binoculars in hand.

The frazzled vulpine looked to Judy in the hopes she hadn't noticed his wandering expression.

She was smiling.

"Dancing without anyone seeing me?" She rose one of her dark grey eyebrows.

"Have you been _spying_ , Mr. Wilde?" Nick cleared his throat. "Maybe. Yes, actually. You got me. I've been recording you and selling it to naughty sites like 'Down-the-rabbit-hole' and ' '." Judy giggled.

"You're horrible," she said. "And how would _you_ know of those?" "I just do. And by the way, _you're_ avoiding the question, Cottontail." "Okay, okay! Something that gets me going." Judy remained still for a second before sheepishly taking out her phone, putting in her password, and beginning rifling through the music library. She found what she wanted.

The song from this morning.

"Don't ask anything," she said, clearly trepidations of Nick's judgement, "just listen. Okay?" "Alright." "Seriously." "Okay." "Just don't make a big— "Carrots! Stop!" He was laughing. " _Christ_!" He put a hand over his heart. "I promise, Little-Paranoid-Hopps, that I'll pretend to like it even if I don't!" Judy tilted her head, a small smirk pressed on her lips.

"Fine. Here we… _go_ …" She put her phone on the middle console and quickly hit the play button.

From the speakers came forth a lyrical poem dressed in red, and it was in this era of slow acceptance where the two biologically opposing officers—creatures who in primal days would have been pure and stringent enemies—sat amidst a dangerous plot of land and saw everything else seem to dissolve into nothingness right before their very eyes. It asexually produced negative space into infinity, and the outside world slowed itself for them so that they may catch up. But did they really want to? Probably not. The people walking on the concrete slabs lining the roadways, the lights hanging high and out of reach, the hustle of every other story other than their own—this all ceased to remain active and left them simply sitting in a vehicle with a song that brought Nick's breathing into a steady murmur, a near held breath in fact because of how he was lulled into contentment. What projected from her phone was a layered dream pop ballad not about love but it very well could have been; it could have been about death…it did not matter because it spoke of chances and shadows and darkness and time; it reminded Nick that if he focused hard enough, if he recalled his past in just the right slots of time, he might have the power to make himself disappear in the cracks of this city of perfect imperfection and contemplate whether or not he would be missed. He would smile though because he would find that he did not care for the answer. He would find that all he cared about was sharing this moment with Judy, sharing this song with her. And it was because it gave her pleasure. It gave her pleasure to know she produced something he enjoyed. Not quite melancholy but on the verge of setting itself into a gray area, the music was in fact something he could imagine the little rabbit meditating to while sitting outside on her apartment balcony before staring her busy day. He genuinely liked it, and unbeknownst to him, it was apparent Judy saw this because she would glance over at him during different points in the melody and smile at how his paws were clasped together and how his head, with closed eyes, leaned back on the seat cushion as he ate away at every vocal expression and keyboard note and guitar tone that was birthed.

Her fear of his mocking was entirely gone.

She had won this battle, and it made her feel wonderful.

"It's _very_ good." Nick said, turning his muzzle slightly as the music neared its end.

Like a giddy child, Judy simply rocked herself left and right in her seat. Her shoulders raised up close to her head.

"Knew you'd like it," she beamed.

Nick nodded. He looked up and his smirk immediately turned itself upside down. Judy noticed this and she pointed her eyes in the direction Nick was looking.

Wolford and Higgins were standing in a way that made both of their ears perk up. The two officers in disguise were rigid, clearly looking at something from a distance that did not bode well with them.

The beep of the radio cut through the song which was then followed by Wolford's voice.

"Shit's happening. 240 in progress." The music died.

Time regained its power.

In a matter of seconds, as every officer was trained to do, Judy and Nick threw their euphoria and escalating emotions away as if they were disposable canisters and exited the vehicle, beginning to cautiously walk next to the juxtaposed building toward Wolford and Higgins who were still looking down the road toward whatever was taking place; their posture had not changed, although they appeared to be on the defensive. Nick lowered his frame by slightly ducking down because with his sensitive ears he could hear loud talking and a clear scuffle of some kind taking place around the corner of the brick building. His partner who lagged behind him took suit and placed her hand against her sidearm, ready to draw if the assault proved to be something out of control.

Echoes, voices, then a thud. A shouting could be heard, low and deep, and then much louder, but before anyone could react, three booms—the blast and crackle of a high caliber pistol—reverberated throughout the tall buildings like a screeching wail of pain, and in a reactive moment, Wolford and Higgins immediately dropped down to one knee, both of them quickly brandishing their weapons and taking cover as much as they possibly could within the doorway of the convenience store they had been standing in front of. The gunfire had not been aimed at them, but four more shots sounded off, and then a successive two from what could have been forty or fifty feet from Nick and Judy's current position; their reaction had been complete instinct and police ritual under these circumstances: the swift and flawless unclasping of their police sidearm and Nick's quick 10-71 code into his radio. Someone was yelling "fuck" and then a car being lit up boomed from a distance, burning rubber, screeching, a shatter of a window, and then a high pitched scratch of what could have been a blunt object being thrown at something. Things were moving fast. What sounded like more shouting ensued, and the tin of metal being pierced by bullets rang out loud.

Nick threw his body against the brick building and exposed his head only slightly around the corner to see that a black and white Alpha Romeo 4C sports car was turned on, its lights beaming across the darkened and barren street, and a flash was emitting from its opened window; it could have been a lighter, or some strange flashlight, but it wasn't. It made itself known quickly. The blast of another pistol rang out a millisecond after the flash and made contact with a dark blue van that had been parked across from the sports car on the other side of the road; two animals were huddled behind the van, and a third one was laying on the cold pavement, apparently shot, bleeding out. He was stationary, his body a large black mound of mass on an otherwise flattened surface, and he was not making a sound. He could have already been dead. In an attempt to escape, the sports car revved its engine and then began to speed off, but not before being shot at by the remaining two animals behind the van; a thunderclap of smoke and gunpowder recoiled from their weapons, trailing off into the night air, and then the two animals were huddling themselves into the vehicle. Contact had been made, and the sound of glass could be heard tinkling against asphalt before the sports car veered off and smashed into a light pole, bending it down at a nasty angle like an Ulna bone snapped in half. The light flickered out like death's call and the wiring near the top of the pole fizzled out a rain of sparks until it died off completely, the power source now gone. Nick had his gun pointed at the car and Judy ducked down low, turning her body toward the van which was beginning to maneuver around and make its way through the streets. Wolford and Higgins took off at a dead sprint, running toward the van in an attempt at apprehending the drivers before they gathered too much speed, but before the officers could even come close to it, the car was screaming away, meshed into a city of lights and dreams, and then it was gone entirely. Nick made his way over to the sports vehicle, and he could tell, even in the dark, that the driver was dead; his arm hung from the opened driver side window and was drooling a trail of blood onto the ground below like a hose with a hole in it. Standing next to the door, Nick saw that the aye-aye, probably in his twenties, had been shot in the head with an exit wound the size of a golf ball; a blast of brain matter and skull and fur had been sprayed onto the leather seats next to him, and the driver's tongue hung from his mouth like a sleeping feral dog, nearly bitten in half by clasping fangs that would set in with rigor mortis as time passed.

"Fuck…" Nick whispered.

Judy, her sidearm still drawn but pointed toward the ground, made her way over to Nick.

"Something's wrong here," she said. "Look." Nick turned to see that the vehicle's trunk door was slightly ajar and bent strangely.

From down the street, they could see Wolford and Higgins jogging toward them, still on the lookout for anyone nearby. Sirens in the distance called out for reassurance. Backup. Their brothers and sisters would be coming shortly.

Wolford's mask had been removed and his ragged wolf fur danced with every step of his feet. Higgins, even with his sluggish frame, had managed to keep up at a good pace behind his partner and was kneeling next to the shot animal in the distance; he shook his head, his beard still stuck to his face even throughout the entire scene.

"We got somethin' here, boys," Nick said. His pistol was pointed toward the opened vehicle trunk.

Judy nodded at Nick and he nodded back. She quickly pushed up the trunk.

This place can be cruel.

Deeper.

Down there.

Now.

The bat had been hog-tied, both arms stretched behind his back and both ankles clamped together by sturdy rope; his long mouth, gagged and tied shut by a cloth, had dried blood stain patterns around it and no doubt had tried to scream out at one point before his throat had been cut open by a blade. It was a wide smile of a gap, jagged, torn flesh and red meat and bone and jugular veins opening themselves for the world to see, and the horrors this corpse provided only projected at a higher pitch of volume when one looked at how his wings had various holes and tears in them, probably opened by a knife or some other object. The unique nose of the animal, pierced in its right nostril, had been battered by an object of some kind, broken to the side, and various cuts splayed upon his body suggested a timeframe of torture meant to either coerce information from him or send a message. He had suffered; this much could be seen by the body alone. Suffering and pain beyond measure. What secrets had he held? What ransom or money or product had he been involved in? Rape. Meth.

Haowl. None of it mattered because the result was the same, the summation rang true and vile, and this all came rushing into every officer, even the hard-boiled Wolford who turned his muzzle and let out a sound that could only be a deep grumble of sympathy and hatred that unintentionally sprang from his belly like a meal not sitting well. Judy looked like she had seen an apparition and turned her body away, not wanting to see this thing that lay before her, a nightmare personified and made whole.

Nick's voice was quiet and monotone when he spoke into the radio attached to his breast, requesting for a body pickup.

The beep of his radio sent a chill down his spine. It had been so loud because there were no other sounds outside right now. It was as if everything else had died in the shooting.

"Shit," Higgins whispered. Nick turned to see that the hippopotamus had made his way back over and saw the mess. "What the fuck…" he trailed off.

"What _happened_?" Nick shouted out toward Wolford.

The Timber Wolf shook his head and pointed a paw back at where the van had been.

"Guys got out of the van. The sports car had apparently been waiting. It was like they knew it was there and what was going to happen. The driver got out of the car and started swinging fists with one of the guys from the van. Then, well, you know what happened after that." Nick shook his head.

"Fuck," he said.

He turned to see that Judy was leaning against the brick building and had both of her hands on her knees.

He jogged over to her.

"Hey, you okay?" She was breathing deeply and had her eyes closed.

"Yea," she said. "Give me a second." Nick put a paw on her back and rubbed it gently.

"Everything's okay." She shook her head and then said, "No. No its not. Not when shit like this happens." Her face appeared to be crumbling.

"I know…remember what you said, though: it bludgeons you." "It bludgeons you," she repeated, nodding.

"But you can't let it get to you. It'll win, then. And it _can't_." The sirens in the distance were getting louder, a mere several blocks away from their current position.

"It can't…it can't…" she whispered, a near mantra.

"It can't," Nick said. "Because we're all here. And that's all we can do. Be here.

That's all we ever have. And I want you to be _here_ with me..." Judy looked up at Nick to see him looking down at her with nothing but concern and care. Feeling came rushing back to her body and the rubbing of his paw against her back sent her into something she needed to do. She needed it not only because of what just happened but also because of the frustration she had been feeling these last couple days in regards to her emotions and current state for the one animal she has come to admire unlike anything she has ever admired before.

She needed this to release from her so that she may gain her sanity back and remember the feeling she had experienced this morning and in the car when fantasy and reality found a place to coexist.

It was necessary.

It was vital.

It sprang forth without warning.

She began to cry.

Three days had passed since the Nocturnal District Quadrant 2 incident.

Judy had taken an emotional hit from the entire ordeal, and Nick had been nothing but helpful to her—from doing tiny things like buying her random snacks to sending her funny texts so that he may take her mind away from negative thoughts to coming over after work hours and watching an occasional comedy movie with her to keep her company. She was responding well to everything, but Nick could tell it still affected her; this test of doom and foreboding death was a challenge, but it was something she was determined to overcome. Bogo was made aware of her reaction and empathized with the inner pain she was experiencing, so he did them a favor by reassigning them at a different section of the Nocturnal District so that they may have a better chance of avoiding something similar happening again. Everyone seemed to be walking a cautious line with the miniscule rabbit and did their best to provide moral support for her: Benjamin bought her an entire box of carrot-cake cupcakes (not before eating one himself and getting a sheen of frosting on his lips), Higgins had a brief talk with her about how she was feeling, Wolford would give her a friendly pat on the shoulder while passing her in the hallways and ask how she has been, and even Bernhard managed to respect what Nick had warned him about and steered clear of either of them whenever he found himself in their presence.

After running through the plates of the vehicle and identifying the driver based on his dental records, it came to fruition that the entire scene that played out two nights ago could very well have been snowballed out of control due to a bad Haowl deal that had taken place elsewhere. Judy and Nick came to this conclusion after reviewing the file and finding that the coroner revealed traces of Haowl in the wolf found dead on the roadside after the van had taken off into the city and the bat found in the trunk of the Alpha Romeo 4C. More than likely, the three animals in the van had been shipping the drug around and may have attempted to make a deal beforehand with the driver who may or may not have been the killer of the bat stuffed in his car trunk. Two empty baggies of Haowl with the infamous insignia printed on it had been found underneath the bat's body, and the wallet stuffed in his back pocket revealed that his name had been Timothy Bastleborn; this would not have mattered in an alternate universe—he would have been any other individual, any other average animal, but the reality was he was not; in fact, he had been one of Chief Bogo's prime suspects in the pending Haowl case. He was a heavy hitter of the drug and a creep who had been past convicted of molestation. He may have had what happened to him coming for a long time, but the enigma surrounding why he ended up in the trunk of a compact sports car and why the drivers of the van had found it in their best interest to take out the gun-toting aye-aye was all but a mystery. Neither Judy nor Nick could put these pieces together.

All that came from this was a crossed off mugshot of a bat and perplexed minds heading back to the drawing board.

Judy sat at her desk rifling through paperwork. She was reviewing the report that Nick typed for her as a favor so that she didn't have to recall every tiny detail that had taken place.

A small Styrofoam cup of coffee was set beside her.

She looked up to see a smirking fox.

"Thanks!" she said cheerily. She sipped the brew.

"No problem." Nick took a swig of his own drink. "How's the report look?" "Perfect. Thanks so much, Nick. You're really the greatest." "This I know." She playfully rolled her eyes. "Even with that big ego of yours." "Careful, Carrots. That might not sound right to anyone walking by the office." She shook her head and leaned her chin against her paw.

"I swear, you're by far the most perverted animal I know." "And you love it." Judy took another sip of her coffee, and did not verify Nick's statement although she didn't have to. Her answer was in her smile.

"So, other than scanning through documents, what else is new?" Nick asked, leaning a shoulder against her desk.

"Nothing much." "Marcus talk to you about the Canal District case file?" "Yea." "What do you think?" "I don't know. I can see some similarities. I think we'd have to look deeper." Nick nodded. "That's what I thought. He may be onto something though." "He might be…" Judy looked up at Nick and could see him scanning around the room. He had that sly, cocky look on his face she has seen so many times.

"What are you up to?" she asked.

Nick put a paw against his chest. "Whatever do you mean?" "Nick!" "What?" " _Nick_!" "Your anger baffles me, Fluff. Here I'm being such a gentle-fox and then your projection of negativity is— " _Cut_ it, dumb fox. What's your _angle_? You may be cleaver, but you literally have _no_ poker face." Nick sighed.

"What are you doing two weeks from now?" he asked. "Do you have any strange rabbit-like plans?" Judy's smile widened. "Rabbit-like plans? What's _that_ supposed to mean?" "You know…like carrot eating contests or something, I don't know!" "No, I don't," she laughed.

"Really?" "Yes. Why?" From Nick's pocket he brought out what looked like two slips of paper. He put them right next to Judy's eyes and said, "Boom." It took a moment, but when she brought her head back, she could see the print clear as day: **Zootennial Stadium Arena** At Sahara Square _Zootropic Entertainment Presents_ **BEACH HOUSE** The Animalia Bluebird Tour Fri Oct 7th 2017 8:00 p.m.

"Get your sundress ready," Nick said with a smirk.

Judy's mouth was slightly agape. She looked at the tickets and then up at Nick and then back at the tickets. She put a paw over her mouth.

"How'd you get these? When and why?" "One: I'm amazing. Two: the date is on the ticket, silly. And three: just 'cause." Her smile, partially blocked by her paw, was infectious and it made Nick's go wider. Suddenly, she jumped up and wrapped him in a hug.

He put his arm around her and then said in a joking tone, "Are you just trying to get the tickets so you can pawn them— "Oh, _quiet_!" she shushed. "Thank you _so_ much! I can't wait!" "Me too." They stood hugging for a moment longer before Judy slowly let go and stood next to Nick, looking up at him.

"I didn't know they were coming here. I'd have missed it," she said.

"Yea. You're lucky you made such an impact on me," Nick said with a smirk.

"That's one out of a thousand," she said in reference to the number of times she has attempted to get Nick to enjoy her taste in music.

"Well that's the one that counts, huh?" "Sure is." The two stood for a moment longer before Nick took another sip of his coffee.

"Well," he started, "I guess I'll let you finish up reading through that report. Just let me know when you want it turned in, okay?" "Alright." Nick turned and exited the office. She was left sitting there as a radiant ball of excitement and putty and could not believe she would be attending a concert— not just any concert, but one of her favorite artist's concerts—with Nick. All the pain she had been trifling over for the last couple days seemed to be worth it in the end; in fact, like medicine, the frustration and morose seemed to numb themselves and make her inwardly laugh at how they could have affected her in the first place. He had been right in saying that this city can be cruel, but while that may be the case, it was a monster that could only feed itself based on how weak and powerless its people were. And Judy was tired of acting weak and powerless; she'd been doing so for three days, and that was far too long for her.

Her parents had not raised that type of rabbit, so it was only natural that she would shake off her melancholy and buckle down for the long haul.

But now it was even easier to do so without a pep talk.

Now she could truly enjoy herself because of who she would be spending her time with.

Feeling spurned on by the moment, Judy quickly reached into her pocket and dug out her phone. She skimmed through the past text messages and once again came upon the conversation she had engaged in with Nick during the weekend.

Scrolling through the messages, reading over and over again the dialogue, she searched for answers to questions that lay dormant in her. Then a realization hit her. She looked at the message more closely. It could not have been any clearer to her now. It could not hide itself, and neither could he anymore.

In an instant, she felt a wave of euphoria overtake her.

And it was all because of a single text she overlooked; one she had not read into carefully enough.

It was something that gave her enough strength and gusto to not fear pushing herself forward.

She looked at the message again and couldn't take her eyes from it.

Would be interesting, that's for sure.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Substantia nigra

It was blackness that enveloped him.

His home. His torment.

Clouded, unending, monumental in scope; it gave itself away and rocked with an ebb and flow of rushing dark waters that could not be mistaken as anything but second-guessing. A reverie wrapped in doubt. A silent hope crushed by impulse.

 _This_ was the reality pressed upon him.

 _This_ was his way of living.

Give in.

He would tell himself this.

Give in, Nick.

A predator's instinct told him to not heed his own demand, but everything else in his body gave him permission to collapse this barricade set before him. He was tired of living by _her_ word, tired of picturing a place of distilment and melancholy where in the end animals were left with nothing but broken memories built upon fractured lives. Animals chasing meat…animals muzzled.

This place of cobwebs and decay could not possibly exist with such voracity.

It simply could not be.

And this was because he knew it not to be true.

He knew it was a façade ever since she came into his life—ever since he held her and she held him back even if it had been during a moment of duress.

In the background, inspired by the dreamlike sounds Judy had shared with him nearly two weeks ago, he had Beach House's "Days of Candy" playing softly on his SoundLink mini _Bluetooth_ Bose speaker set near the small drawer stand where he kept his door keys in a glass bowl next to his black wallet. The room was set in a mode. One that reflected his very emotions at this juncture in time; it was dark and hopeless with the blinds drawn shut. He was partially preparing for the time he would have with his work partner and partly meditating for the fear that stained his insides so profusely like globs of hardening tar; in fact, it was a trepidation so deeply wrought within the cavity of his chest that it hurt to imagine its presence. So, he attempted to deconstruct it into nothingness, to rearrange the pieces into his liking, to picture it as nothing more than a fallacy. But the truth stared him in the face and battered his head with no remorse: he was _terrified_. That much he knew. He was utterly terrified of spending this time with Judy, and it wasn't even a romantic date they were embarking on; it was going to be like any other outing they shared with one another as friends: no implications, no hidden agendas. But it still didn't help to think this. The fear _lingered_. Fooling his cunning mind did not work because it knew itself too well.

He stood in front of the mirror hanging next to his doorway drawer, staring at his face. Closing his eyes, he slowly placed a paw up against the wall in front of him and let it slide down the grooves of the plaster, feeling every inch of the bevels, curves, and tiny indentations. Like before, if he pictured hard enough, if he focused on the right points of interest, he could imagine himself slipping inside the crevices of this place of perfect imperfection—microscopic, deeper, down there, now…and then there would only be humming.

A deep humming.

A numbness.

Like what he used to feel when he sat outside underneath the night sky.

His eyes opened and what lay before him was the visage of a vulpine more terrified than when he had once been muzzled.

Give in.

He would tell himself this.

Give in, Nick.

The full-length beveled mirror reflected a trim and robust rabbit frame twisting slightly to the left then right in order to examine itself and the Manitou blue strapless sundress that hugged its every curve. Judy reached the conclusion that she liked what she saw, but the true test would be whether or not _he_ liked what he saw.

She grabbed at the thin cloth encasing her, thinking about how Nick had not been lying when he had told her to properly prepare herself for the concert: Sahara Square, a utopia for desert animal life, reached sweltering temperatures as devised by the architects of the massive climate wall bordering the district which was juxtaposed to the icy and fiercely frigid Tundratown. The coexistence of such polarizing climates made it possible to circulate mass contradicting temperatures in a single unit so closely to one another because of the gargantuan coils hardwired into the wall that were somewhat akin to a refrigerator or portable heater. It was because of this that Judy felt obligated to go shopping for a more fitting and comfortable line of clothing. The thought of walking around in 100-degree weather wearing jeans and a t-shirt made her feel queasy, and she never did get the opportunity to experiment with "girly" clothing, having been very used to adopting a rather plain style growing up on a farm. The idea of wanting to look good for Nick, of wanting to make him look _at_ her, sent a chill up her spine. It was strangely erotic for her, relative to an exhibitionist's fantasies.

While shopping, she had been simply browsing without a critical eye nor an objective, not too sure what she was even looking for, when the SunTropic-Blazt store clerk (a diminutive and long female ferret with red lipstick) suddenly came upon her as if telepathically knowing of her struggles and suggested that because of Judy's bust size she would look best with something that did not have straps on them and instead revealed the bare fur of her shoulders and shoulder blades. Not too sure what to think of such a remark, Judy had taken the line of clothing anyway and was surprised to find that as she stood in the dressing room examining herself, the ferret had been completely right: she looked absolutely amazing, downright sexy even, and in secret she hoped that Nick would think so as well.

Judy had been exercising religiously at this point in her life and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride as she slightly hiked up the sundress which already stopped well above her knees to reveal her well-toned legs built from a strict regimen of daily running activities. Her species demanded anything that was cardiovascular, and her efforts proved to pay off well. She turned again to the left and admired how her grey fur slowly shifted colors to a creamy white the higher it trailed up her inner thighs; she pictured something that would have made it look better: a strong dark red fox hand slowly sliding up it, groping higher and higher until his clawed digits…she cut herself short and stopped thinking of such great possibilities; it could wait until she was in the privacy of her own apartment and not in a changing stall surrounded by other strange customers. Saying this was easy enough, but the real challenge was actually following through with the demand because in truth it was getting exceptionally more difficult to stop herself nowadays from imagining Nick touching her, kissing her, licking her, nipping… even…she halted her thoughts, gulping. Even _fucking_ her.

This concept, this desire was deep within her mammalian body, and the more she hung around him, the more she realized how lustful and dirty she actually was. It was as if he opened the best worst part of her inner chambers, but rather than recoil and attempt to escape, she pushed forward with a determined curiosity through series after series of doorways toward a dark and sticky mess that made her stomach summersault. No longer did she desire to create a silence from noise for a chance at nostalgia, an escape from chaos for a chance at simplicity, but rather she now longed for loudness and blissful struggles—passionate moaning, screams of ecstasy, fidgeting and heat and… _Cheese and crackers!_ She screamed inwardly. _Get ahold of yourself, Hopps!_ She looked at the mirror again to see her ears drooped low and her face flushed dark, rich pink. Her battle would now be to bring herself back into normalcy instead of exiting the fitting room with a scent around her that suggested anything but a rabbit shopping.

But damn it all to hell, that was easier said than done.

She had gone too far and felt like there was no going back.

And the truth was quite simply put: there _wasn't_.

 _Remember yesterday_? Her mind mocked her. _You've already gotten a taste. You know you want more. Now what, Hopps? Now what?_

Judy gently sighed. This was a struggle that wit could not overcome no matter how good of a student of Nick's she had been. This wispy tangle of desire infiltrating her body twisted itself into too many knots as proven the other day when she had finally acted on an impulse too vigorous to fend off. She had done something bad, or at least something society perceived as _unnatural_ when it came to the animal kingdom and its stringent acceptance of sexual allure. What her parents would have thought had they saw her made her feel a slight weight of guilt thrust itself upon her shoulders, but it didn't matter at this point; the excess baggage could be handled—she was strong enough to take it. As she saw it, the damage was already done.

She had been sitting at her tiny dinner table while munching on a mixed-veggie salad, her iPad set atop the wooden surface and playing a funny YouTube video, when a character, a red and black furred fox similar in build and stature to Nick, made an appearance wearing nothing but a pair of well-formed Woofy boxers, and while what was transpiring was supposed to be humorous, Judy found it anything but. His muscular legs and bare chest suggested that the egg white fur surrounding his inner thighs and naval slithered up and down, covering whatever had been barely encased by the fabric of what he wore. This made her bite her lip and got her thinking about whether or not Nick had the same pattern as the vulpine in the video trotting around without a care in the world. She'd set her fork down and then frantically began typing away on her iPad Google search engine: the exploration had been innocent at first—things like "foxes" and "fox models" and "fox with no shirt"—but her yearning for something more tripped over a metaphorical rock and slid its way down a slope far too steep to crawl back up.

A dark thought had enveloped her mind…a curious one as well because up until now she had never thought of the possibility. Would it truly be a thing? Would it be _allowed_ to exist even on a place as wide and unending as the internet? Before she could muse any further or stop herself from acting, her fingers had already pressed the digital keys to spell out "interspecies porn", and much to her surprise, the tap of the search button spilled forth an onslaught of various sites that nearly made her eyes bug out from her head: TabooFur, SecretSexLives, Interspecies4u, and page after page of what could be none other than an industry she never imagined existed until now. It was actually a real thing.

...and there was a shit ton of it.

After realizing she had already gone too deep, she figured that turning back at this point would have been foolish. Clicking on the first link provided, Judy had been greeted with a warning verification page and then with a site categorized by species of interest; it took her only seconds before she had clicked the category of _fox_ and then slid down the accompanying scrolling box to _rabbit_. Her heart had been thumping so rapidly that one would think she'd never delved into pornography before. It was impossible to not in such a rapidly moving world, and while she didn't make it a daily habit of hers. She had been known in the past to examine it from time to time simply because of the power of biology which ferociously grasped rabbits with a sexual fervor akin to addiction—by no means was she a flake nor a prude, but this type of exploration she was engaging in now was so foreign to her that its territory did nothing but send wave after wave of adrenaline through her tiny frame. Never had she attempted to look at another species in this way; in the past it had always been rabbits. But that all seemed to be thrown to the wayside. She wanted nothing to do with her own species anymore.

Without even thinking, the first video she had clicked on revealed a quite muscular vulpine standing over a small and well filled out lagomorph that was cream white with occasional splotches of brown covering her tight body; their faces were blurred out from some type of video editing technology, but what could be seen was the only thing a site of this caliber cared for: a red, long, and thick fox member plunging in and out of the rabbit like a jackhammer, his nearly full-gorged knot demanding entrance, his heavy balls slapping against her with a ferocity akin to an animal that had just eaten multiple Night Howlers. His paws were locked at her thighs, the black claws digging into the creamy rabbit fur hard enough to demonstrate dominance but not with enough force to draw blood. Their rutting had been fierce and loud, and the rabbit in the amateur video moaned and shrieked in pleasure, seeming to love every second of it. She was being taken, plain and simple. Taken and used. How he would eventually tie her, if he did, Judy could only imagine. All that she knew at that point was that watching this scene play out made her very own breath come out in ragged waves, and her ears had nearly drooped down to the floor in a puddle of sexual tension so powerful that her beating heart could be felt through her temples. One of her deepest and darkest fantasies was right before her, and she knew right then and there what had to be done. It simply could not be avoided. Picturing Nick, she had spread her legs as she sat at her very own dinner table and helped satisfy a deep, powerful itch by releasing herself of the pent up arousal that had been plaguing her orifice.

She'd made a hot, sticky mess of her seat, and it felt wonderful.

Standing here now in the semi-privacy of the changing room, thinking back on her actions made her feel even more dirty…and it was a filth she wanted to experience again.

But not from a video.

Not from an artificial creation of her mind.

 _ **Him**_.

She wanted him in every which way.

Realizing her paws were scrunching the front of her dress on either side of her thighs, she suddenly let out a huff of air and then nodded at her reflected image.

In her mind, she traipsed across familiar territory and revisited her philosophy: _Look inside yourself and recognize that change starts with you._

Like the text message she had read into, her stumbling on this new information of predators and prey engaging in intercourse only made her feel more courageous. The implications of there being such things online fed into her optimistic point of view that what she was experiencing was not in the least uncommon; in fact, it may very well have been a desire cultivated within every animal at some point in his or her life regardless of how prejudice against another species he or she may have been raised to be. This mass municipality known as Zootopia, and the kingdom it resided in, was a melting-pot after all, an orbiting globe with the theme of open-armed acceptance in what had once been an unacceptable world, and at the end of this maze could very well have been a crossing point, a hybrid line for every species to coexist in ways that had never been imagined. The magical question begged to be asked though: how _truly_ accepting was this place? Not long ago, ever since her hunger for Nick surfaced, she would had thought not too much—only on a level of respect for your fellow prey and an admiration for betterment—but now her pondering only produced more questions that's answers could not be explicitly told but rather inferred.

This utopia of colliding species was far too big to avoid eventual lapses in thoughts and feelings, and with that could only be an evolution of principals, and with that, far off in the distance, far off beyond what the older generations could even begin to accept, rested a promotion of desire and the will to reform old habits. Judy found herself nodding again at these buzzing thoughts. Old habits could die off. This was possible. She had once said that every animal has limitations, that one could find the willpower to try new things and relish their experiences. However, it wasn't until this very moment that she realized each creature's limitations, while seemingly solid in foundation, was only measured by how fearful and unwilling predators and prey were at attempting to shift themselves from their cemented nature.

And nature could be changed. It could be manipulated if tried hard enough…all it took was persistence.

It was change that needed to happen.

Change built from courage.

"Would be interesting…that's for sure," she whispered to herself.

She ducked down next to her pile of clothes she had changed out of and began rifling around in her miniature purse. She brought out her phone and snapped a quick picture of herself, putting her paw to her side and smiling at the camera and then scrolled down her contacts list and attached the image to "Mom" before pressing the send icon.

Sitting down on the changing room bench, she set both of her paws on her lap and waited.

Not too long passed until she received a response, and the texting ensued: **Mom:** Wow! You look amazing!

 **Carrots:** Thanks!

 **Mom:** I don't think I've ever seen my little girl look like such a little girl before! Not since you were very young!

 **Carrots:** Har, har.

 **Mom:** Really, you do look fantastic! It makes me jealous that I was never that beautiful.

 **Carrots:** lol. Thank you. I'm blushing now…

 **Mom:** When are you guys leaving?

 **Carrots:** A couple hours. We'll probably hang around Sahara Square for a while before we go to the stadium.

 **Mom:** Fun! By the way, make sure and stay hydrated!

 **Carrots:** Okay worry wart.

 **Mom:** Hey you're still my baby girl even if you're a tough cop in a big city.

 **Carrots:** I know, I know. Hey, can I ask a favor?

 **Mom:** Sure.

 **Carrots:** Can u and dad maybe find some time today to meet Nick. I want to introduce u guys to him.

 **Mom:** Absolutely! I'd love to meet your friend! When your father's out of the fields I'm sure he will want to meet him as well.

 **Carrots:** Ok. Thanks!

 **Mom:** Not a problem.

 **Carrots:** I'll call you guys later closer to when we leave to the concert.

 **Mom:** Alright. You two have fun! Love you.

 **Carrots:** Love you too!

Judy set her phone aside and thought for a moment about everything she wanted to have happen tonight. Cliché as her thoughts were, her desire for her parents to approve of Nick was only a stepping stone, a mere ripple among an otherwise monumental mass of water in the complete scheme of things concocting within her subconscious. Her imagination would play out the scenes for her like an old movie reel: the feeling of his eyes undressing her body, a longing sense of desire emanating from his posture and movements, that cute and confident look he would shoot at her in an attempt to successfully seduce her, perhaps a grazing of paws intermingled with the smell of him close to her underneath a blazing sun, the feeling of his strong digits on her bare shoulder—these were all small snapshots, randomized images charting the timeline that would lead to one earthshattering thing her lips craved. She could only imagine how riled he would be, and it made her shiver to think of him feeling like putty because of her presence.

But in the same instant, she could not help and feel as though these delusions of grandeur were just that: delusions. What on earth could happen that would override the searing fear wrought upon their predator and prey bodies? Either of them no doubt knew a thing such as intimacy unknown to withdrawal could not exist with the eyes of other animals resting upon their every movement, and if it ever did, these very same eyes would more than likely turn down into an angry scowl. Staring and forever…a boundless sense of unacceptance pressed on their visage. A life like that would be no life at all. Bitter. Constant in struggle. Painful even. And then what? What were they left with other than walking on eggshells amongst perpetual disapproval? No.

This was silly.

 _Screw that_ , she thought. _Screw what they think. Remember what Nick says._

The frustration and ridiculousness of the entire situation made her stand back up, but it was the sudden buzzing of her phone that truly woke her from her slump.

She looked at the caller and her heart skipped at seeing it was Nick. In an instant, she pressed the answer icon. "Hey," she said.

"Hey, hey, Carrots. What're you doing?"

Judy looked at herself in the mirror. "Just getting some stuff for the concert."

"Stuff, huh? Sounds mysterious."

Judy could hear Nick feign a gasp.

"This is all on the up-and-up, right? Nothing shady?"

"Yes, you stupid fox," Judy said while shaking her head. "I'm not getting anything _illegal_."

"Just checking. I mean, I wouldn't be totally opposed to us sharing a Night Howler and seeing if we can destroy half the city."

Judy giggled and was glad the slight shifting in her breathing didn't register over the phone. The thought flashed across her mind of either of them in a savage state, tearing at each other's clothes, tongues tangling over each other's— "Hmm," she started, stopping her mind from wandering, "Sounds tempting, but maybe I'll pass. I planned on having a good time today, but not _that_ good of a time."

"Fair enough."

"So, what's up?"

"Well, I figured we'd scour the area before going to the concert. You cool with hanging around Sahara Square? I was thinking maybe we could check out the markets next to the Palm Hotel, maybe eat something, and then head on over to the stadium."

"Yea! That sounds fun!"

"Alright…"

Judy bit her lower lip and gave what she was going to ask some thought. "Hey, Nick…" she trailed off.

"Yea?" the volume in his voice told her he could sense she was loading up for something.

"So…would you be opposed at all to meeting my parents over FaceTime at some point today?"

There was a brief hesitation on the other end of the line.

Judy quickly cut in with, "I mean, if you don't want to that would be okay. I'd understand if—"

"No, no," Nick interrupted. "I'd love to. It's just…didn't you say they were… well…"

"Yea," Judy said nodding to no one but herself. "They are somewhat 'old fashioned'. At least, my dad is. My mom is pretty much open minded. But after I told them about how you helped me out with Bernhard, they really seemed appreciative."

"Well that's good."

"Yea. So…you wouldn't mind? They really do want to thank you."

"Sounds good, Hopalong. I'm excited!"

"Awesome!"

"Alright. Any last requests? Ideas? Thoughts? Nude photos?"

Judy giggled. " _No_ , you deviant…nothing like that."

"Damn. Well, I'll see you at four then. Nothing to see here I guess."

"Okay. Bye," she laughed.

"Adios."

The call ended. Judy set her phone down and could see in the reflection of the mirror that her state of bliss showed clearly on her face.

It was always proven to be true that Nick brought out the best in her.

He never failed. This time was no different.

Tired with her prior pessimistic inner thoughts, she promised herself to just enjoy the day and began assorting her clothing before wiggling out of the dress.

She tossed it aside and began examining the light yellow floral lace g-string panties hugging her firm buttocks—the lacy undergarments had beckoned her on her way over to the dressing room and begged that she left with them in the hopes of being seen by a pair of stunned fox eyes at some point tonight. She again began turning left and right to admire the curvature of her frame paired with her toned behind, pleased with how well she took care of herself, and the naughty thought of "accidentally" sending Nick a picture of her posing in such miniscule clothing only entered her mind for a fraction of a second before being pushed away by common sense and logic. How he would respond to such a gesture she could only guess, but it would not be too farfetched to imagine him never messaging her back and instead taking the incentive to save such an image for later viewing, or better yet, later _use_. This alone made her feel a sense of sexual desire at the thought of him frothing over her like some kind of hound dog with no sense of limit or willpower.

Animalistic without abandon.

Dogged and instinctual.

What he truly was, deep down.

She felt her legs tremble, and the tiniest tinge of guilt plagued her at realizing how strong her fetish for predators actually was. Where it started, she did not know for sure. She would sometimes rack her brain at detecting the source and usually came up with the answer of Gideon Grey. Not him specifically as an _individual_ , but there may have been some kind of deep psychological twisting that had taken place after her scary encounter with his angry claws, and it could have manifested even more so adding onto the fact that her parents, especially her father, had ever since then labeled foxes as an "off-territory" nomenclature, an entity that eventually became exotic and unattainable in her eyes when she came. It could have been any one of these things. It could have been none of them. The end result was the same though: it made her incredibly horny and bothered—predators in themselves—and the idea of being dominated by a beast she could not fend off stimulated her intimate thoughts above all else. In the past, she couldn't help but feel immensely perverted and unnecessary to the world; however, now it didn't sting as much knowing there were thousands upon thousands of those just like her who were actually engaging in acts of taboo rather than merely thinking them.

Embracing what she was would be a challenge.

It still was.

But she felt it to be a necessary one.

Putting back on her casual clothes before opening the dressing room door and taking her desired purchase over to the cash register line, Judy put a smile on her face. She wouldn't let anything else ruin her day. It was meant to be filled with enjoyment after all. On her way over, her eyes were caught by a sunhat, smooth in material, that matched with her dress perfectly, and without a second thought, she grabbed the headpiece from the rack it hung on. She stood behind several customers, one who was a bulky Longhorn, and was nearly slapped across her face by the fidgety rope-like tail that whipped from side to side as the white and black speckled bovine turned to leave the post and stomp his way out of the shop.

Once at the front of the line, Judy looked up to see the ferret that had helped her.

"Find everything you need?" she asked.

"Yea! Thanks for the help. You were right, by the way." Judy replied.

"Oh, that's great!"

Judy hopped up and set the sundress and other clothing on the counter.

"You know," the ferret said while ringing up the lingerie, "it's really none of my business…but I think that's a great choice for underneath the dress. He'll definitely enjoy it."

Judy chuckled, only slightly embarrassed. "Thanks…" she said, and then with more courage, "I hope he does."

"By the way, we do have these in orange too. You know, in case you want to look more carrot-like for him."

Judy let out a light laugh. "Why?" the rabbit asked.

"Oh! I didn't _mean_ anything by it. What I meant was…and I don't want to sound off-putting, but isn't that what rabbits respond to?"

"It is," Judy nodded. "For the most part I guess."

"$65.70," the ferret said.

Judy handed the ferret a one-hundred-dollar bill and as the change was being handed back, a thought crossed her mind. Its power overrode rational thought and before she could do anything, it was already exiting her mouth.

"Looking like something that a rabbit would like doesn't matter for him though."

"Oh?" Judy took the plastic bag of clothing and shrugged.

"Yea. He's not a rabbit."

"Not a rabbit?"

It slipped from Judy's mouth.

It demanded to be known.

 _Shit! Cheese and crackers, girl! What're you doing?_ Her mind raced.

"Fox," Judy corrected.

The ferret looked perplexed.

"Fox?" she repeated as a question.

Judy simply couldn't help herself. Feeling light headed, she spoke without a filter. "He's a fox." And with that, she turned around and briskly exited the store before anything else could be said.

From a distance, Sahara Square glimmered in a shimmer of gold and heat that could only be associated with something as epic as a busy Los Vegas strip. However, this was far more spacious, far more luxurious even, and it was devoid of commonality in the sense that it boasted itself constantly and reflected its radiant body against a stagnant, clear bordering lake that the Zootopia transit system bulleted over countless times in a day. Massive green palm leaves built from green jade and flexible metals encircled the main street, Siwa, and its connecting roadways, weaving off into the lower subsections of town where palm trees stood as commonplace as grass in the Burrows.

Among the small piking market places and low-levelled apartments made from dark red, brown, and yellow sandstone, Palm Hotel was a godlike spire towering among every facet of the undergrowth that was a horizon shot of varying rocks and chiseled Meza structures. The gargantuan building of leisure was massive in scale due to its constructed cylindrical body made from hundreds of thousands of interconnected gold-brown steel beams and silver trimmed glass panes. It held the shape of a giant palm tree, hence its name, and raked in millions of dollars annually all thanks to its reputation for immaculate service. At its base, a giant oasis of lush grasses and shrubbery grew by aid of sprinkler systems and animal-made water geysers that sprayed into the air like liquid fireworks. Anyone who passed through would be crazy to not gaze upon every inch of the giant hotel, and so it stood with vanity unmatched to anything other than the mayor's main offices at the epicenter of the neighboring city.

In Sahara Square's backdrop, rolling hills of fine sand waved up and down at smooth angles, and it was not uncommon to see cluster upon cluster of camel joggers clad in shorts and form-fitting running shirts trotting along the invisible line crossing the town to the barren fields. For them, this place was just right in its temperature, but for Judy and Nick, they were entering territory that required they be dressed and prepared for the occasion. So, they were.

Nick's eyes, when he had first gawked at Judy as she exited from her apartment building entrance, were affected in the way she had hoped for: he could barely even hide the fact that he'd been relentlessly trailing up and down her body as if she was a piece of Grade-A steak—from her paws partially covered at their hinds by light blue protective leather to her small bust that partially budded out of the thin sundress draped over her frame. He had been quick to compliment her in a humble fashion, but Judy's massive grin had already told him he'd given away everything she wanted to hear without actually saying it aloud.

In the opposite sense, though, she could not withhold her own admirable gaze at a vulpine she really didn't see dress openly save for when he entered the Zootopia Police Department gym for his routine workout. His chest, muscular yet light of frame, was covered in a green sleeveless shirt which boasted a set of toned and long vulpine arms, and it was toward his solid forearms that the fur trailed into such a darker shade of red that they nearly looked black; the same could be said for his legs and feet paws which were currently being shown off by the pair of casual shorts sagging from him. His eyebrows had been hunched in his cocky and sly look as they greeted one another, and perhaps in an attempt to hide any further gazes at the rabbit, he grabbed from his pocket a pair of black sunglasses which were casually placed in front of his eyes.

Secretly, Judy adored every feature of the vulpine, and it was during their moment of entering the vehicle—which Nick surprisingly managed to convince Judy he would like to drive this time around—that the fox could outwardly see her eyes locked on him with what could not be mistaken as feasting upon his body in the very same way he'd been doing moments before.

It had been a silent victory for Nick and one that made him even more jovial than he'd already been.

However, the same could be said for Judy as well.

At this point, in either of their minds it was tied 1-1.

During their travel through the streets, they made light conversation, and it wasn't until the district was in sight that Nick noticed Judy's excitement fully bloom.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Nick asked, referring to the enormity of Sahara Square. He turned his head to look at Judy who was sitting at the passenger side of the pickup. Her fascination could perhaps have only been outmatched by a child witnessing such a sight for the first time.

"Yea! It never really gets old. I remember only seeing it for a bit on the rail system when I first moved here and then when I'd do my parking ticket rounds. But this…this part of town is just…wow…"

Nick smirked. "By the way, we're fairly close to Jumbeaux's Café," he said. "We could visit it for old time's sake. Maybe say 'hi' to Fatty-McFatterson."

Judy was looking around and then her mouth opened at realizing Nick was right. "It _is_."

"First place I met you."

"First place we met each other."

"Yea…" Judy laughed. "It's all coming back. _Pawpsicles_ ring a bell?"

"Of course, it does. That was my life for quite a while."

Judy leaned her head back against her seat. " _Gosh_! I remember how pissed I was when I first figured out what your little _business_ model was."

"Pssh! Pissed at how you didn't think of it first?"

Judy suddenly gave Nick a light and playful punch on his shoulder.

" _Ow_!" he mocked. "Rabbit steroids!"

" _No_ , stupid fox! I was so convinced I was just helping some poor _dad_ who was being _discriminated_ against."

"Half right."

Her nodding head made her ears slightly flop from side to side. At suddenly remembering how horribly Nick had been berated, she let fly from her mouth, "That owner was a real asshole, wasn't he?"

"Yea…" Nick nodded. "But what can you do? He had a right to be bitter. Elephants got it bad. I mean, look at what they have to work with as far as the females are concerned. It's like the _Return of the Blob_ Redux!"

Judy put a paw over her mouth and giggled. "You're _horrible_ …absolutely horrible…"

"And you love it."

Judy tilted her head and glanced over at him. "Do I?"

Nick smirked, his cocky grin peaking. "Yes. Yes, you do," he said, and the slight tinge of sexiness in his voice, whether unintentional on his part or not, made her nearly squirm.

The pickup truck was steered onto the ramp that would eventually merge onto Sahara Square Main Street. The center of the district was in sight and made itself known with reflective light glimmering against its monumental frame.

Judy pointed to Palm Hotel. " _That's_ so amazing. Never gets old seeing it."

"The inside's even better." Nick commented.

"You've stayed there before?"

"Well…" Nick cleared his throat. "When I was still in my old line of _business_ … yes."

Judy raised an eyebrow at him and posed a sly smirk on her miniscule pink lips. "So, Slick _conned_ his way into a five-star luxury hotel, huh? _Pawpsicles_ weren't enough? You also had to steal rooms and meals?"

Nick put a paw behind his head and Judy couldn't help but take a quick look at his flexing bicep before peering back into his bashful face.

"You might be partially right, err...you know. Yea."

A laugh jumped from Judy's mouth. "Let me guess," she said flipping her paw so that her palm was facing up, "You and Finnick. You used Finnick as some kind of poor defenseless _child_."

"Guilty as charged. Well… _no_ charge actually…however you want to say it."

Judy's smile was gleaming, and she couldn't help but say, "Right now you look like a kit who was just caught. Is that the same face your mother saw when she got you in trouble?"

Nick slightly jumped at Judy's comment. It was barely registerable, a miniscule jittering of his maw and face, but the movement was such that Judy's keen eyes, true and trained at detecting barely noticeable gesticulations, caught him in the act in the same manner she would have cornered a perpetrator attempting to hide an unintentional reaction to lying. But there was no falsehood going on here; it was only masking as a defensive mechanism. Nick's own well-trained emotional barrier he had set up for himself, as powerful as it had been, could barely hide the fact that his ears and whisking tail ever so slightly tilted downward in what could not be mistaken as a feeling of sudden melancholy.

What followed caused Judy's own smile to slowly crack at the corners of her mouth: she could see what appeared to be a bothered vulpine beginning to veil himself with a weak smirk, a forced expression learned through years of perpetual downfall. She had seen this only several times—the first being when he had cracked and relayed his story of childhood trauma involving a muzzle. In an instant, Judy's regret and sympathy came rushing forward similar to when she had seen him and his fake child in the café. Her ears followed suit by slightly drooping.

She could see it all clear as day.

She could see his pain.

"Probably," he said flatly.

The moment seemed fractured, shifted elsewhere.

This wasn't how she wanted things to go. This day was intended to be perfect.

"I mean…you know. You just looked…" Judy could feel herself slipping. "You just…"

"I just looked embarrassed," Nick finished for her good naturedly, although there was still a tinge of bitterness in his face and voice.

"Yea."

"I know, Fluff. You caught me red-pawed."

Judy's grey and white digits were twining over themselves in a nervous fumble.

Nick briefly looked down at this and raised an eyebrow. "I could say the same for you, too," he said.

Judy chuckled, looking at her own paws, and then said, "You could."

"I guess we'll just call it even then."

"Okay…I'm sorry…"

" _Hey_!" Nick reached over and gave her bare-furred shoulder a light squeeze. It made her let out a light, nearly undetectable gasp, but not of fear. Had the moment been tender, she may have been turned on. "Don't apologize. _C'mon_! I know you didn't mean anything by it. Really, you're fine. I'm fine: _see_!" Nick flashed Judy an incredibly cheesy smile riddled with fox teeth which caused her to slightly tilt her head back and laugh. "There we go!" Nick said. "There's the bunny I know! All smiles and giggles."

"And there's the fox I know. All ego and wit."

"Compliment taken," he said satisfied.

" _Now_ we're even."

"Sounds good to me."

Both animals were quiet for a moment in an attempt to think about how to shift the conversation toward something else.

Inwardly, Judy chastised herself for having mentioned something she knew was sensitive to the one animal she could call her best friend without hesitation. In the past, they had only grazed over Nick's previous life as a small vulpine trapped in a torrent of painful scenes, and she never really did have to warn herself to refrain from speaking about certain topics other than his mother who, to her knowledge, had been someone who had tiptoed along the ghastly line of being supportive yet seriously harmful to his upbringing. His love for the vixen who raised him seemed as though it trifled with being passive and filled with unfathomable regret. The details were only vague mutterings, something Judy couldn't quite piece together, but what she could decipher was that her own experience with life had never even come close to something as scarring as Nick described to her in their past conversations while cruising around in their police car; however, that didn't stop her from being sympathetic to his situation. And so, she was to the best of her ability. A scarred animal was a scarred animal. She was supportive to him whenever she could be, but it just seemed as though she overlooked this particular moment as a result of her bubbly nature.

As to mend the situation, a question popped in her head, and she felt the need to speak. "So, when you were out here as a con, what was the coolest place you went to?" she suddenly inquired aloud.

Nick tilted his head slightly. His good spirits seemed to have returned. "As far as Sahara Square goes?"

"Yea."

"Hmm…" Nick's brow lowered next to his sunglasses as he appeared to be in a state of pondering. "I'd probably say…" he stopped, thinking again. "Yea. I would probably say the Sonoran Market Place."

"Ooh, what's _that_?"

"A big strip. Long, lazy street filled with flea markets and trade and all sorts of stuff. Kind of near the outskirts of the district. Pretty much a hub for anyone who wants to scope out the Sahara Square life. Finnick and I used to stake out that area a couple times. We made a lot of money actually."

Judy hummed. "Really? What'd you guys do?"

"Oh, the usual: turned less valuable things for profit. Freezy-Cones created from the Tundra District. Sold the plastic cups the customers recycled to Gerbil families for roof shingles and home repair."

"Ha! You guys were _bad_."

"To the bone."

Judy giggled.

There was a slight pause, Nick seeming to be plotting something in his head, and then he returned the beat. "Chicks dug us," he commented smoothly, nodding.

Judy tilted her head toward him and lowered her maw in a state of nonbelief. " _Please_ ," she said. "You guys _wished_."

"No, no. Really."

"All talk."

"I'm talking a different vixen every day. Blonde, red, black-furred, brown spotted. You name it. Long tails. Short tails. Suzanne, Skyler, Stacy, Stephanie, S—"

Judy rolled her eyes and interrupted with, "You're just naming off random 'S' names."

Nick let out a loud laugh.

The vehicle came to a slow halt as he pressed the brake at the red light. A large shuffle of camel, rhinoceros, and zebra citizens herded from either side of the pedestrian walkway with a strut and stride as if they were prowling for water.

"Fine. Don't believe me…" he teased.

Judy turned her head back to the outside sights. It was quiet for a moment while she appeared to be mulling concepts over. She suddenly turned back to him. "Besides," she started quickly, "the little sleaze bags probably just wanted in on your profit is all…"

" _Damn_ , Carrots…" Nick's grin was massive. "Is that really what I _think_ it is? Could you possibly be… _jealous_?" He let the word slide off his tongue like poetry.

Judy's ears shot up. " _No_! Are you kidding me!? Of _what_?"

Nick's grin was immense. "Of me getting some," he stopped and quickly cleared his throat, " _attention_ from other females, so to speak."

"Give me a _break_! Why would _I_ care?"

" _C'mon_ , Fluff. You can tell me! I know you're happy being my closest female friend. It's only natural if you feel somewhat green-eyed."

Judy waved him off. "Stop _flattering_ yourself."

"Okay, okay. You don't have to say it…" The light turned green and Nick pressed on.

Judy had her arms crossed now and was quiet for a while. "Besides," she began out of nowhere, "it doesn't matter anyway. I guess it would be no different than some of the guys that _'dug'_ me at the academy."

"Ooh," Nick grimaced. "Shots fired."

"Boom," Judy smirked. She was glancing at Nick with sneakiness emanating from her eyes; however, he could have sworn there was the tiniest traces of seriousness as well.

"Now, I must say that sounded _very_ suggestive. What kind of _digging_ are we talking about here?"

Judy straightened her back, her crossed arms and expression looking like a child with a secret. "Don't know. Probably the same kind of _attention_ you were talking about."

Nick slapped the steering wheel with his paw and laughed, enjoying the back and forth game playing out. "Names? Spill it. Let's hear it." Judy counted off each name by tapping her fingers. "Ben, Brad, Broderick, Brady, B—"

"You're just naming off random 'B' names."

"Oh, _really_?"

"Yuh-huh."

" _Fine_. Don't believe me!" She stuck out her tongue.

Nick turned the pickup onto Sahara Square's main street, Thebes. The chaos of the streets matched the ferocity of the heat, and it was almost unbearable.

"Shit," Nick said. "Busy as hell today."

"Yea," Judy agreed.

Nick swiveled around tiny street side markets set so far against the borderlines of the roadway that they seemed to be obstacles.

"So…really though," Nick started, his smirk nearly nonexistent now, "what were their names?"

Judy's arms, crossed again, slightly tightened up as she said delicately, "Chris and Jackson."

Nick whistled. "Boyfriends?"

"Once…"

"At the same time?"

" _No_!" Judy made a face of disgust and the slap she gave Nick this time was real.

His laughing brimmed the inside of the pickup. "Hey! Easy! Lay off the protein shakes! You'll break my arm!"

Judy simply shook her head in disapproval although there was some amusement to her demeanor. "You're _un_ believable…"

"Can you _blame_ me for asking? I mean, I can't help that rabbits are known for their…um, exploits."

"You sound like that fat elephant with your stereotypes."

"Nuh- _uh_. You _know_ it's mostly true."

" _Oh_? Like how all foxes want to _maul_ every tiny rodent they see on the street?"

"Hey, that's unfair."

"Says the guy who's _labelling_ rabbits."

"Okay, okay. Point taken. Anyway, so you didn't get frisky with them ala ménage a trois. That's fine. Tell me about them."

"No. None of your business now."

"Pwweaaase!" Nick squeezed the steering wheel in a child-like manner and let all of his teeth show.

"Nope. You've lost your best-friend gossip privileges for now. Just drive, chauffer." Judy let her last remark sink in by brushing Nick away with her paw.

" _Aww_." Nick made a sad face. "Alright, Carrots. I'm sorry."

"Not gonna' work, Slick."

"Seriously. I apologize."

"Too bad…"

Nick began to smile. "You're getting very good by the way."

Judy only nodded with a look of satisfaction. "Learned from the master,"

Nick continued. "My protégé, my muse."

"Whatever, freak. Anyway," she said, unwrapping her arms, "off the topic of my private life, what was the street you were talking about?"

"Sonoran Market Place."

"That was it. Sounds fun."

"We can go there right now, you know. It has some pretty good places to eat too."

"Yea?"

"Yea. Want to?"

"Yes!" Judy playfully clapped both of her paws.

Nick adjusted his sunglasses by pushing a claw against the bridge of his muzzle. His black-lined lips crept up in a smirk. "But I warn you," he started, "be cautious. These animals love a good hustle. Especially the flea market vendors."

Judy shrugged. "Good thing I'll have a shady pro to assist me," she said almost dreamily. "He'll protect this feeble and poor rabbit, yes?"

Nick put a paw over his heart and scoffed in a faux sophisticated voice, "Why of course, darling."

Judy tittered.

As the vehicle crossed a small overhanging ramp and veered from a tiny avenue onto Cascade Street, the Sonoran Market Place was in view and rocketed its way into a long, boastful straight line that was overpowered by an onslaught of small vendors set up at posts created from handmade wood frames and boxes. One could not help but admire the dedication it took for most of these animals to make what they would consider a moderate if not weak income by slithering from their beds at early hours, well beyond what any individual envisioned as normal, and trudging out to the empty streets to set up at their unofficial sections of the sidewalk in an attempt at exchanging products for their livelihood. The entirety of the display posed itself like a theme park for gypsies—exoticism intermingled with traces of the disheveled; a strange kind of organization for the seemingly unorganized.

What stood before Judy's wandering purple eyes was a haphazard yet interesting display of random trinkets for sale: postcards bought and sold for marginally higher percentages pinned onto rotating black swivel racks, cacti plants squeezing through tiny brown pots set at affordable prices, fruit markets displaying exotic varieties shipped from locations unknown to anyone other than the producers, magazines and caricature hand-drawn art pieces covered in shade by large posts hanging long sheets for protection against the hateful sun, and what appeared to be every other item one could imagine were all set side by side at an uncomfortably close range from one another.

Cougars, deer, gazelle, and other flowing desert animal life shuffled along the labyrinth of amateur outlets and they all were buying, bartering, and benefiting from the cheap deals being advertised by large cardboard signs marked with black sharpies. Everyone seemed to be gesturing and speaking in a fashion only comparable to a crazed stock market bidding, and the sight alone probed Nick's adrenaline as he thought of talking someone down to a nearly nonexistent margin of price. The moment in itself was as if he was revisiting his old stomping grounds, and in a way, he was.

Peddling and profiting.

The life of expectancy's enemy.

This was the time and place of movement he once knew.

Judy could see this and rather than interrupt Nick's reverie, she idly sat by and watched his expression. He looked so handsome, so fit in the moment, and she dare not interrupt him.

Idling the pickup into a nearby parking lot, Nick turned the vehicle off and turned to Judy. "Ready?" he asked.

"Ready!"

Nick guided Judy to the starting point of the market place, and they began casually walking down the long trail, weaving their way through a mass of loud, large, and small animals alike. Many of the proprietors were a species that clearly inhabited the desert district, camels and such, and their large hairy humps jutted up against their shirts in a manner that brought them close to appearing like the cousin of Quasimodo.

Judy stopped near one of the markets and was browsing through a display of hand-carved wooden figurines: some were immaculate and amazingly detailed palm trees, others were cacti surrounded by waves, and some were even different types of animals molded by such a crafty eye that if looked closely enough one would see different engravings intended to be flowing fur. The artist, a large and burly zebra equipped with what looked like a beer belly, sat slumped on a fold-out chair and had a small piece of wood resting against the round blimp of flesh below his breast that was covered by a blood-red t-shirt that had a picture of a rocking chair and the words "Rockin' On" underneath it. His mane, a trademark of all African equids, jutted up like a Mohawk and looked like red and white licorice sticks standing upright in a floral-like pattern. From his other meaty hand, a whittling knife danced its blade against the piece of wood he held and knocked out various angles of shavings until they fell to the concrete below like leaves descending from their tree branches. It appeared he was carving a small oasis with two palm trees sitting next to it, and like his other works of art, this one also did a fantastic job of standing out due to careful and meticulous detail, specifically the trunk of the trees which were angled with small-scaled diamond patterns that could only be possible through a steady and trained surgical precision.

"That's _really_ good," Judy awed.

"Thanks," the zebra said in a gruff phlegm-riddled voice. The ashes of the cigarette that was clung between his lips floated down to the ground in the same manner the shavings had been.

Judy stood straighter and put both paws behind her back, which now held her purse, and she asked, "How long does it take to make one?"

The zebra closed one eye and his lips lowered in a state of pondering. While he did this, he continued to carve as if having a third eye. "Mmm…depends I guess," he said.

"On?"

"On how big it'll be."

Judy pointed to the carved fox. It was somewhat minimalistic, having identifiable features yet not in the sense that it could have been a specific vulpine.

"How much is that one?"

The zebra eyed the carving for not more than a second before saying, "$20.00."

Judy had her purse in front of her and was opening it until Nick stepped in.

"So what kind of rotary tool did you use on it?" The moment was halted by silence stepping in view.

Taken aback, the zebra's brows lowered quickly before setting back in their normal position.

"What you talkin' about?" he asked, slightly annoyed.

"Just wondering. Was it a high torque carver? Or precision? Probably torque because of how it's not as detailed as the others, right?"

Judy looked up at Nick, her mouth agape.

"Alright, foxy," the zebra said nodding, removing his cigarette and puffing a spike of smoke toward the sky, "I don't know what your aim is, but these are all hand-carved originals. Lotta' time went into these babies."

"She'll take the fox for $8.00. A buck for every minute it took to make it."

At this point, the zebra had stopped whittling. He set the knife down on the table next to him and leaned forward. "Fox, you got some balls…"

" _Nick_ ," Judy whispered, an inkling of fear rising from her voice. "Stop it."

Nick smiled at Judy and winked.

She didn't know what was happening, but she trusted him enough to allow it to continue.

"Listen, you and I know this fox sculpture here is not hand-carved. The beveling is very precise, and the way his torso is lined out looks very generic." Nick pointed closely at each detail with his index finger claw. "I'm guessing this took no more than ten minutes. I'd say $10.00 is the most it's probably worth."

The zebra's eyes were slits. He was now leaning one elbow against his knee and looking carefully at Nick. He sat that way for several seconds. "Don't know. Five-dollar discount on Fridays is all I'm willing to offer right now," he said with skepticism.

Nick nodded, rubbing his paw against his muzzle.

"What happens if, say, it fell to the ground? I know it's an original carving, but how sturdy is it?"

"Sturdy enough," the zebra said flatly. "Made from Walnut."

"Ah. I hear Walnut is hard to carve by _hand_. Interesting. It's just…hmm…I don't know."

"How 'bout you just let the lady choose…" the zebra suggested.

"Well we're here together right now. This is a joint purchase, so I can only voice my opinion too. What do you think, Carrots?"

Judy looked from the zebra to Nick and then back to the zebra.

She felt torn, and still did not understand the little game being played, if in fact it was a game. "I think…" she started, unsure, "…I think that…fifteen is just fine?"

The zebra's stoic frame softened, and he leaned back in his chair as the money was exchanged.

Looking over at Nick, Judy saw he had his head tilted to the side and was rubbing his forehead with his paw.

"Thanks, little lady," the zebra sneered, handing her five dollars back.

"Thank you…" she said with confusion in her voice.

"See you around," the zebra said cheerily while waving at Nick.

"Hey," Nick pointed, "if she knew how the hell this worked, I coulda' had you at $9.00. At _least_."

"In your _dreams_ , fox."

"At least tell me now."

Grinning, the cigarette pressed against his slightly yellowing zebra teeth, the whittler said softly, "High torque."

" _Fuck_!" Nick snapped his fingers. "I _knew_ it!"

Judy grabbed Nick's forearm. "Uh, let's go, crazy," she said. Guiding Nick away from the market, the fox statue carving being cradled by her other arm, Judy looked at her best friend as they continued walking and didn't know where to start.

"So…is this like the unwritten rule of the markets?"

"Yep. It's a battle of verbal chess here. And you moved the king into the open there, Carrots. Check and mate."

"Sorry." Judy murmured sadly.

"Quite alright," Nick said, patting her on the shoulder. "If you're new at this, it's pretty tough. These guys do this all day every day. They're pros."

"And so did you." Judy countered.

"Yea!" Nick's voice oozed with pride. "I did."

"Do you really think you could have gotten him down to $9.00?"

"For sure. He looked tired, not ready. Plus, the bigger guys tend to exhaust faster. Less stamina. Even if it's just talking."

"You'd think it was a fight…"

"Kind of. But there's a respect to it."

"Hmm." Judy had a small smirk on her face now.

"What?" Nick asked, smiling as well.

"You look very satisfied is all."

"I am. That was like a taste of foreplay."

Judy giggled. "You could have picked someone… _better_ to do that with."

"Ha! Like who?"

Judy wanted to say " _me_ ", but her mind swatted that word away. "At least someone who didn't have a balloon under his shirt," she said.

Nick chuckled. "Well you got a point there, Fluff."

"Let's keep looking around!" Judy said excitedly with a hop to her step. "I'll shut up and learn. Watch a pro."

"Now we're talkin'."

Scouring around the marketplace proved to be quite lucrative if one was keeping track of lowballing; in fact, Nick had nearly talked down every single vendor he and Judy randomly stopped at—from the home-made candle maker who crumbled down to nearly 80% off the original asking price to the Llama selling what she claimed was original sewn blankets and who might as well have handed over the sheet for free to Nick once he started pointing out the inconsistencies of the "sewing machine" patterns. If anything, Judy took one thing from what she saw: the vulpine had _not_ been lying when he said this had once been his life; it showed like a vibrant, glimmering star in the sky, and throughout the entire time Judy was utterly fascinated at seeing the different strategies he used to veer the conversation to a territory that gave him the upper hand. It seemed that was always the strategy: gain the upper hand. Talk faster, talk harder. It was an art style, pure and true. On occasion, he would glance down at Judy, who at this point was carrying a baggie filled with purchased goodies (most bought by Nick for her, even with her insisting he didn't), and he couldn't help but give her a small wink which she took in and reflexively began to blush at seeing him be so bold. It very well could have been a wink signifying success at their dealings, but she took it as something more. His handsome features, his grin, his strut made her legs wobbly, and she couldn't divert her gaze.

As the day carried on quite quickly, the sky began to dim into a color and temperature that made the heat much more comfortable. The slight breeze, still warm and humid, wafted out a scent of cooked vegetables and tortillas from the surrounding Meza sandstone restaurants lined behind a large section of the remaining markets—accents of different dialects murmured and shouted within the rows amateur vendors as sounds of sizzling and boiling emanated from the primitive yet surprisingly comfortable looking places of business behind them.

Nick's eyes dropped down at Judy.

Her expression told him they were thinking the same thing.

"Hungry?" he asked.

She only nodded, but it was a frantic nod.

After her subsequent acceptance, he walked her along the border between the markets and the eateries. They glanced in every opened window frame to get a glimpse of what was being served: some places held only charred meats grilled by huge stoves while others only sold mashed salads with almonds and mushy soups on the side. Finding something that would cater to both of their dietary and palatal needs proved to be somewhat of a challenge, as they both experienced many times in the past, but their search proved to be fruitful when Nick's eyes came across LaHoliton's, a small and humble sandstone structure that seemed to hold a bit of everything according to the large menu displayed next to the open kitchen. It looked almost like a hybrid food wagon with the chefs cooking in the open. Choosing to sit on one of the white outdoor tables covered by an umbrella, Nick and Judy ordered their meal from a tall male gazelle wearing a skull and crossbones headband. His punk-rocker voice caused Judy to smirk when Nick shot her a glance, and their little secret joke went unnoticed by anyone other than themselves especially when Nick, not being able to help himself, began imitating a Keanu Reeves surfer boy trying to find his wax which nearly caused Judy to topple backwards in laughter. When the food arrived, the two began to scarf it down, Judy munching on a tall salad and Nick chewing meat off of ribs like a beast gone savage.

"How's your food?" he asked in between bites.

"Good. Do I have to ask how yours is?" Judy handed Nick a napkin which he patted against his dribbling maw.

They both stopped eating and stared at each other in silence. Suddenly, they both began laughing at the situation.

After continuing to eat for a lapse of time, Nick pushed his plate forward and cocked his head to the side. "So, did you have fun here?"

"A lot. I thought I was getting pretty good the last two we tried talking down."

"You were. A natural, actually."

Judy shifted in her seat, excited. "How did you learn to do this? To do _all_ this?" she asked.

"Practice, really. Nothing secretive. Just getting out and doing it. Desperation…" Nick stopped for a moment, shoveling a toothpick between one of his fangs. "Desperation can make you learn things pretty quickly. Having no money puts ingenuity above all else. I had nothing, so I had to make something out of nothing."

"I guess it would," Judy said in realizing this. In the same thought, she couldn't help but feel a shiver trail down her spine at what Nick had said. Where he had attempted to create something from nothing, she in her mind spent her days doing the opposite.

The silence.

The silence created from the noise.

It was a paradox, it seemed. One she cherished.

Above all else, it reigned supreme in her philosophical outlook.

But then…why did it not bother her today? Why did this complete and unrefined chaos not send her over the edge?

 _Him_ , her mind answered for her. _Because you are here with_ _ **him**_.

"So," Nick started. "What got you into Beach House? Just sort of happened?"

"Kind of," Judy shrugged. "Every morning I listen to music. I just plug it on random. They just happened to be there for me when the silence wasn't."

"Hm. Silence?"

"Yea…" Judy looked from side to side, slightly embarrassed she had unintentionally confessed something very personal to her.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean…" Judy's hesitation was beaten when she looked up to see Nick's paw resting on his chin. His curiosity and interest in everything about her melted away any opposing thoughts bumbling around within her consciousness. "I mean that this place can sometimes be overwhelming for me. Its…loud and brash and…and it just _hurts_ sometimes. I like to, at times, make, you know…" Judy trailed off and lamely added in a near whisper, "silence." Looking down in shame, Judy was surprised to see Nick nodding when she had enough courage to gaze up at him.

"How do you do this? Create the silence, I mean. I could use some at times."

Judy smiled. "Well…I just take a place."

"A place?"

"Yea. A place of importance. Somewhere no one else can get to you. And I picture it. It's usually big. Wide. And I like to think I'm the only one there. No worries, no pain. And then I put myself there again, and keep going down further until I'm so far in it that I can't go back. And every once in a while, it'll be there…the silence."

An image of Nick's paw pressed against his wall, sinking in the crevices of the paint came to his mind.

An image of him as a scared child imagining a better life fell upon that thought.

"And it works?" Nick asked with seriousness in his voice.

"Sometimes."

"But not always."

"No. I mean, look," Judy said, waving her paw across the bustling markets.

"Yea. I hear 'ya."

"Yea…"

Nick was poking the toothpick into his teeth again. They were both quiet for a while, thinking, when he suddenly said, "Bunnyburrow."

"Huh?" Judy tilted her head in curiosity.

"Why don't you take a trip to Bunnyburrow? I bet that's a fantastically silent place. Big fields. Land upon land. You'd talked about it in the past. Would be a great meditation trip, I bet."

"It…would…" Judy said as if suddenly realizing this.

"And you'd get a chance to see your parents again. I know you talk with them all the time, but it isn't the same, right?"

"True." A thought suddenly popped in Judy's head. "Hey!" she exclaimed. "By the way, speaking of my parents, I told them I'd call them around this time. Would that be okay?"

"Absolutely."

"Yay!" Judy clapped her paws and then grabbed her phone from her purse. She began to dial.

Nick glanced over to see she was using FaceTime and remembered she had requested that Nick meet her parents.

His heart skipped a beat at this sudden revelation.

 _Shit_ , he thought. _Her parents. Meeting her "old fashioned" parents_.

Nick's paw ran through his head fur, hoping he didn't look like complete trash.

The dialing could be heard and when there was no answer for two rings, Nick thought he'd be in the clear.

Then an answer followed on the third.

"Mom! It's me!"

" _Bun_ -Bun! How are you?" Bonnie was at her usual position in the kitchen, no doubt whipping up a massive meal for a family that would soon fill the entirety of the house and then some.

"Good! We're at the Sonoran Market Place. Nick is showing me all the sights. We were bargaining with some animals. It's pretty crazy."

"Oh, that sounds _fun_."

"Yea…hey, is dad there?"

"Not at the moment. Tractor sputtered out again. He and some of the boys are working on it."

" _Darn_. I wanted him to meet Nick."

"Aw, that's too _bad_. I'll be sure and let him know you called if he's not back soon."

"Okay. Well…do _you_ want to meet him?"

"Of course!"

"Alright…" Judy turned to look at Nick. Her face displayed hesitation, but Nick's large smirk told her everything was okay. She turned the phone so that both of them were in view of the camera. "Mom, this is Nick Wilde. Nick, this is Bonnie Hopps."

"Hey, Mrs. H! Nice to meet you!" Nick waved at the camera and put on his best smile.

Bonnie showed not even the tiniest hint of disapproval or negativity toward Nick, and in fact she seemed to brighten up at finally getting the chance to meet the animal who Judy not only spoke about to her wits end but who also rescued her from certain peril. "Hello, Nick! Nice to meet you too. I heard you helped Judy with a little mishap a while ago."

"If you're referring to the incident at the pub, then yes I did."

"Yes, I am. It sounded like she was grabbed by some… _hooligan_."

"Personally, I'd use a different term to describe him, but yea…we took care of that quickly. No problems now. Although, she probably could have walloped the guy herself if she wanted to…"

"Don't be so _modest_. I wanted you to know my husband and I are very grateful for what you did. It always feels good knowing we can entrust someone to protect my daughter when things aren't going so well. And it makes our lives easier knowing she has you as a partner while on the job"

"Oh boy. Pressure's on," Nick said, putting a paw behind his neck.

Bonnie laughed. "No pressure at all," she started, "I just wanted to thank you."

"You're welcome." Nick glanced over at Judy to see a minute trace of worry behind her eyes.

Unsure of what this meant, Nick turned back to Bonnie.

"So…what's it like being the wife of a carrot farm guru?" he asked.

"Busy," Bonnie chuckled. "It keeps me on my toes, especially with most of the kids still around."

"I bet. How many of those little rascals are still there, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all. 205 exact. Brothers and sisters alike."

"My _goodness_ …" Nick said in disbelief. "Do you ever get them mixed up?"

Bonnie's smile intensified. "It happens on occasion," she said. "Even as good with remembering names as I am, it'll slip by and I'll sometimes call Tim Tucker or Sammy Suzan if I'm not paying close enough attention."

"Ha! Wow. I thought it was hard enough being an only child, but I couldn't imagine the difficulty of having an army living in one house."

"It definitely has its ups and downs," Bonnie nodded. "And 'army' is a good word, by the way. That definitely sums it up sometimes."

"Well…I hope you don't mind me saying, but I'm sure they are all fantastic kids, and it's interesting and satisfying to see that I was right in thinking Judy inherited her good figure from her mother."

Bonnie put a hand up to her mouth. Judy's own embarrassment was overshadowed by the fact that as she looked at her mother's reaction, she mistook it as a mistake on Nick's part, that is, until she saw the corners of Bonnie's mouth upturned in a powerful smile. Once Judy's mother regained her bearings, she removed her paw.

"I don't know how true that is, Nick, but thank you for the compliment," she said, clearly flattered by his remark.

Judy glanced over at Nick and remembered in an instant why she was so attracted to him. He was positively knocking it out of the park with her mother, and his ability to carry on a conversation stood the test of being unmatched by anyone she knew.

"So how has work been for you two?" Bonnie asked. She was now leaning against the kitchen countertop, immersed in the exchange.

"One day at a time," Nick said, placing a paw underneath his muzzle. "It's been pretty hectic lately actually. Lots of mammals getting killed. Lot of inner-city strife happening. I'm sure Judy has told you a little bit about it. We had a pretty nasty run-in about two weeks ago. Three deaths."

"That's horrible…and yes, she has. It sounds pretty dangerous."

"It is at times. But luckily, we're more of observers from a distance. Not on the front lines. We put our time in to save the city once before. Makes me remember why I became a cop in the first place. All thanks to your daughter and her words. She claims I'm the silver-tongue of the troupe, but I think she's inheriting that mantle."

Bonnie's face was beaming now. "She _is_ something else, isn't she?"

"Okaaay, _mom_ ," Judy said, her ears drooping in complete and utter embarrassment. Her face was beet red, and her fur couldn't even begin to hide this fact. "Enough of this," she demanded weakly.

"You _are_ , honey. You don't give yourself enough credit."

Judy's silence was the only answer she could muster.

"She really is, Mrs. H." Nick stated.

"Oh, call me Bonnie!"

"Alright, Bonnie. So, I don't want to sound too forward, but the whole carrot farming business sounds pretty fascinating. I'd like to see how it works sometime. I've never actually been out to Bunnyburrow before."

Judy's ears shot up at Nick's proposal.

"Stu would love that," Bonnie said. "Any time he gets a chance at talking about it, he can't be stopped. I'm sure he'd love to show you around the farms one of these days."

"Awesome." Nick glanced over at Judy to see she was radiating pure happiness.

"Well," Nick said, "it was great meeting you, Bonnie. We actually have to get going if we want to catch the concert in time."

"Alright! It was good meeting you too, Nick. Don't be a stranger, now."

"I won't. And when you get a chance, tell Stu I said 'hello' and that I'd like to meet him sometime."

"Oh, I will. You can count on that."

"Okay, bye!"

"Bye!" Bonnie waved at her camera jubilantly.

"See you later mom," Judy said with contentment in her tone.

Bonnie puckered her lips and made two kiss sounds. "Love you, Bun-Bun. Have fun!"

"Love you too." After the call ended and her phone's screen went black, Judy looked over to see Nick displaying his brows in a cocky arch. He actually had the audacity to raise one eyebrow a couple times quickly.

"So…" he said, "it appears we have another nickname that—"

" _Don't_ you even _dare_ ," Judy warned, genuine anger suddenly ricocheting off of her.

Nick put both paws up in defense. "Chill."

"Nick, I'm _not_ even kidding!"

"'Kay. Judy has a limit. Got it. _No_ Bun-Bun. Duly noted." Nick made an imaginary checkmark in the air. "Any others I should know about?"

"Yes. But you sure as hell aren't hearing them. That's one that she let slip, but I'll make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Ha! Alright…" Looking at the sky and its contrasting shade compared to earlier, Nick nodded his head and then said aloud, "We should probably get going anyway. Beach House awaits."

The anger Judy had in her face, while perhaps not fully serious, immediately melted away. "Yea, we should." Gathering their things after paying and leaving a generous tip for the waiter, both animals got up from their seat and began to make their way through the maze back to the beginning.

Nick turned to Judy as they were walking passed some markets beginning to pack up. "Think she liked me?"

Judy's teeth showed from her smile. "Well. Let me put it this way: she wasn't even close to being as nice and accommodating to Chris or Jackson when I introduced them."

"Well, well. Aren't _I_ somethin' special."

Judy looked to the ground as they continued walking and couldn't help but blurt out, "Yes. Yes, you are." Both animals looked over at one another and their grins spoke of feelings unspoken. The bustle and chatting and loud voices that overtook everything seemed to not exist for either of them. And it was in the silence that was created from this noise that they felt connected and as one.

A deep humming.

A numbness.

 _Give in_.

This is what they told themselves.

Give in.

It was nearly time.

A moment of change; a moment when space and matter and ideas would alter into nothing but sound.

Everyone saw it coming, and no one wanted it to end.

Zootennial Stadium was brimming with animal life, and the structure itself, shaped in the manner of a wavy water droplet that had just come into contact with a hard surface, was immense in size and built from blue sheets of metal melted and then molded into amazing and nearly unfathomable shapes. Gold and yellow lighting shining from the inside like small sunbursts were a cool, sexy contrast to the upper and lower colors they were squeezed by, and the large rounded sections of grass encircling the stadium only made the destination Nick and Judy walked toward seem even more like an oasis than the Palm Hotel had. Cemented among the stadium's view was the neighboring amusement park, a whimsical, old-fashioned sight of vibrant metal lined with shimmering colors seeming to twist and turn in synchronization with the working rides and the animals screeching and laughing as they were thrown from side to side on rollercoasters and spinners and elevator drops. It all was a fantastically appropriate metaphor for the exciting occasion set to take off in no more than thirty minutes. Red bursts of color pulsated as the stadium sign flashed itself every four seconds in a boastful manner, and it did a phenomenal job reminding every approaching species that they were about to be bathed in greatness upon greatness: a utopia for the audio aficionados, a heaven for those who wanted to feel moved by lyrics.

In the slightly chilly dark blue twilight air, the strong smells of asphalt and car oil permeated as everyone's doors were constantly shutting and opening, excitement brewing in the background like a thunderclap ready to explode, and soon there would be actual claps, an actual thunder of cheers and roars all aimed at a singular and exact purpose, all directed toward two individuals who could bring their concocted sets of sounds to thousands upon thousands of animals who would appreciate every second together regardless of their bloodline.

Nick and Judy shuffled toward one of the twenty entrances, presenting their tickets to a tiger dressed in a blue security guard uniform on their way in, and were greeted by a waterway of fur and tails and bodies moving left to right, some frantically making their way toward the merchandise where they would pay well over the reasonable price for a custom Beach House shirt emblazoning a chic yet original feral bluebird in accordance to the tour name. Foxes, wolves, hedgehogs, koalas, pandas, and every other animal under the sun seemed to be dressed in shorts or other light clothing save for the desert locals who had already developed an immunity to the heat. The smell of hotdogs, burgers, and other fast-made food wafted into Nick's nostrils, promoting his saliva glands to work overtime at the thought of gnashing into a feral meal.

Above the animals, a cacophony of white steel rods was welded at exact angles as to keep the fancy ceiling, immense and tall, from collapsing on the movement below, and what looked like high-powered air vents blasted forth burst after burst of cool air into the stadium cavity.

Judy made sure to stay close to Nick for fear of being swept in the animal waterway, and Nick could tell this was her goal, taking the initiative to gently place his paw against her back as he guided her through the chaos until they reached the other side.

A large horse tail, broom-like and nearly bristly at its touch, whipped from side to side and nearly caught Nick straight in the muzzle when he had helped pushed Judy through—he may have heard the brown colored citizen whisper an apology, but it very well could have been mistake on Nick's part.

At Judy's end, even with the unorganized movement, even with the craziness that she normally didn't adhere or connect to, her good spirits were immense and could not even begin to be hidden by the fact that her powerful grin remained plastered on her face like a permanent expression chiseled by an artist.

This night was amazing.

Excitement built upon excitement under a vibrant sheen of anticipation.

And deep down, she hoped it would only transform into perfection.

"Nick!" Judy broke through the loudness, suddenly grabbing his forearm, "I want to get something to drink! Let's go over there!" She pointed toward the concessions and Nick smiled at how cute she was acting as a result of her uncontrollable excitement. She was like a child rabbit getting happily lost in a toy store. Looking down at her soft paw wrapped around him, for a moment— what seemed like a fraction of a fraction of a second—he thought of softly pulling his arm away for fear that other animals may mistake her closeness and latching onto him as something more than it was, but he, like Judy, was not about to let other's negativity affect how damned good he felt right now. It was getting to the point to where his trepidation, while still a thing of slight existence, was nearly snuffed out, and the thought of giving in, the feeling that he may just have the right mental tools to slice away the one thing standing between him and true happiness, was so close that he could taste it. So, he allowed the warmth of Judy's paw to continue to be pressed against him, and he did not hide his happiness caused by it; in fact, it grew even more. And the part that made him feel even more pride was that she wasn't even buzzed and already transitioned into the phase of pressing against him like she would normally do when feeling more courageous. She was the one guiding him over now. He could do nothing but follow. It must have looked goofy seeing this diminutive lagomorph drag a far more imposing creature to a destination as if he was a pet of some kind, but after they reached the line to the concessions, Nick decided to take the lead and leaned down next to Judy's ears to speak above the noise. "What do you want to get?"

Judy put a claw against her lips. "Don't know. Something…fruity? Hard lemonade, maybe."

"Hmm. You feeling _queerish_?"

Judy lightly pushed against Nick's hanging arm, her smirk revealing her amusement. "No. Just… _girly_. You only wish, Mr. Wilde."

"Won't lie. The thought did cross my mind." Nick examined the concession choices and felt a craving for one of the tall blue Bud Lights being advertised.

A thought crossed his mind though. "I guess I'll have to be responsible and be the designated driver, huh?"

Judy shot Nick a sneaky glance. "I won't tell if you don't," she said with what sounded like the subtlest hint of seduction in her voice. "After all, we're the law, right?"

"Ooh. Naughty bunny. I might have to call up your mother and let her know she raised a hellcat in disguise."

Judy's smile showed a pink tongue slightly being bitten down by her auxiliary incisors. " _Shh_. It's a secret," she joked.

"Not anymore."

"But really, go ahead and get something. We'll be fine."

"I won't say no to that," Nick chuckled.

Both animals ordered their drink and then shuffled their way into the inner stadium entrance set near their designated row where the sight of a massive stage that had many times in the past hosted the Zootopia Wolverines NFL team graced the eyes of the tens of thousands of furs already seated or flowing in like an endless worker ant chain. The well-tempered evening air and starry backdrop softly washed over the skyline in dark watercolor fashion for all to see, and high above the heads of the concert goers below, puttering in the air was a large dirigible slowly steering in a predetermined pattern so that it may display an attached screen flashing the band name for those to see far off from the venue. Four liquid crystal display screens the size of small mansions were placed on each farthest point of the inner circle of the stadium onto the blue metal that looked so much like waving water from the outside, and short blips of advertisements blazed from the projectors until the dimming of lights finally ensued and the band made their entrance on the stage which happened to be set up like a small rocky island lined by what looked like hundreds of different lighting effects and strobe machines.

Nick had done his homework even though he had not been to this place before. The price had been hefty, but it was well worth it. The purchased seats were on the edge of the lower-levelled rows, and he, always thoughtful when it came to his partner's comfortability, quickly found them and allowed Judy to take the outermost seat in case she needed to take a trip to the ladies' room.

Thanking him, she pressed her dress down at her thighs and sat her rump on the seat.

Nick followed suit and began scanning his surroundings.

"This is _so_ cool," Judy said in a daze. "I bet it'd be fun to watch a football game here."

"Yea it is. And yea, it would be…"

Judy sipped her Mike's Hard Lemonade and peered up at Nick. "I'm surprised you didn't con your way into here before…or did you?"

"Nope," Nick took a swig of his beer. "Never have. And actually, now that you mention it, I could've made some serious moolah."

"You could have. Peddling off shirts. Tickets maybe. Parading Finnick around as a crippled child..."

Nick's eyes widened. " _Damn_ , Carrots. That was a very macabre yet creative thought."

"Hm. Yep."

"And speaking of creepy and dark thoughts…lets go back to what I was curious about earlier today."

"And what was that?" However, Judy's voice suggested she knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Oh, just some mysterious males who managed to swindle and lie their ways into a certain rabbit's life while at the academy."

"That's _very_ presumptive. And ironic considering how _we_ met."

"The second part is true. So, prove me wrong on the first."

"Like you said earlier: I'm getting too good at this. _Nope_." Judy's feet paws bounced up and down against the concrete below as she experienced a sudden rush of giddiness at how witty she'd gotten as a result of her constant interactions with Nick.

Seeing this, he burst without warning. "Aw, _c'mon_!" He hadn't meant to project forth the fact that he was actually frustrated at not knowing about Judy's past boyfriends, but when his tone came out, it gave Judy a smile at realizing how much power she had.

She was leading him around, and he clearly wasn't used to that.

In a way, it turned her on.

"Let's make a deal," she said, staring ahead and not looking at Nick. The little grin her lips made turned Nick's eyes into speculative slits.

"Oookaaay…what's the deal?" he questioned.

"I'll tell you about them if you first tell me something about you."

"Hmm." Nick scratched his chin. "Alright! Deal accepted! I'm frightfully allergic to—"

" _Lame_!" Judy interrupted.

"Lame?!"

"Yes, lame."

"Why?"

"I meant tell me something _worth_ telling."

"So, my well-being and health is not of value to hear?"

"If you're gonna' play it this way, Slick, then I'm done."

Nick shook both paws. "No-no-no! _Okay_! _Alright_! Jeeze… _control_ freak…"

Judy giggled as her lips hovered above the neck of her beverage. Her purple eyes looked up at Nick. "Let's go," she cooed, "I'm waaaaiting…"

Nick sighed and placed one of his foot paws against the back of the seat in front of him. Both of his paws found their way behind his neck and rested there, clasped tightly in an expression of defeat. His eyes and face held complete seriousness, sitting stagnant as he attempted to search himself for something to tell Judy.

And then he found it.

She could see him preparing for the words to flow, and as he spoke, he refrained from looking directly at her.

"When I was a kid," he started, "the first time I suspected that something was wrong with my mother had been when I got home from kindergarten during some month. It was cold, the air was frigid and there were leaves on the ground so probably October or November. Could've been closer to December. I can't quite remember exactly. I know that at the time she'd been working night shifts very hard, and so she always seemed to be in a state of exhaustion. We weren't poor, but there was definitely a sense of…" Nick shook his head, trying to find the words, "…a-a desperation or longing or something like that. It's hard to explain. Heh. Well…it's really not, but for the longest time I felt like it was."

Judy, her large purple eyes slightly glassed over, now had her body turned toward Nick, giving him every piece of her attention as she could.

Continuing, Nick said, "I hadn't known at the time I found the bottle hidden in the garbage cabinet that it was liquor. I was stupid, you know. Little kit. Curious. Just fucking around. It spilled when I had been messing with the cap and when she came stomping in the kitchen she was _so_ goddamn pissed. You should have seen her. Blew up on me. Yelled and hit me across the face a bunch of times. I'll never forget it…the _bitch_." Nick was smirking, but it had been caused by anything but happiness. "And I have to say, things weren't even clear then. You'd think they would have been. But I mean, all I knew at that point was I accidentally spilled some of her cleaner or dish wash liquid or some other shit. And so, I'd stay away from the garbage. What really sunk in the reality was when I'd see her sitting at the kitchen table after she got home, her head against the surface of it, and she'd be in a state of…of the most depressing expressions I would ever come to know. Sputtering and saying shit about the guy that fucked her over, and she'd say this out loud to the silence of the room. Just talking to the room, you know. It was like her best friend. Sloshed pig." Nick turned and looked directly at Judy. She appeared to be so saddened by the monologue that her eyes were in a near state of tears. "Aw, Carrots," Nick said, wrapping his paw around her shoulder. "Sorry. I didn't mean to get so real. You asked."

Letting out a laugh, Judy wiped her eyes. "I guess I did. I just didn't think you'd go all out."

"Hey, you know me."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't be. It's all over now."

"Yea."

"I don't know if that was worth telling, but I'll have you know I've never told anyone that story before."

"Really?"

"Yea. Not even Finnick."

Judy sat thinking about this. She then lived up to her end of the deal. "Well…what did you want to know about me?"

Nick's smile revealed his true self. What had been projecting a horrid memory seemed to wash away, and his gadabout personality stood in place. "Tell me about those boyfriends of yours."

"What do you want to know," she said somewhat embarrassed.

"How'd you meet them? Where?"

"Academy training. I met Chris in one of my classes. And after we split up, I met Jackson while climbing on the academy rock mountain in the gym."

"Ooh! _Steamy_!" Nick wiggled his shoulders, causing Judy to giggle. "Who ended the relationship?" he asked.

"It was pretty much mutual with Chris. I ended it with Jackson."

"How long did you guys date?"

"Couple months. Nothing too long. Jackson and I only went out for close to a month, and it just…it didn't end well."

"Sorry."

"No, don't be. He was an asshole. Expected too much from me. My dad liked him, but he didn't have to deal with his shit."

"Yea."

"Did either of them cross paths?"

Judy smirked at Nick's question. "No. Why?"

"No reason."

"Are you really getting back to this little _fantasy_ of yours?"

" _Fantasy_!?"

"Yes!"

"Oh, shit…wait, was it like a cheesy love triangle?" Nick put a paw to his chest and said in a rapid fire stereotypical high school girl voice, "…and, like Judy wanted Chris but Chris liked Tina and Jackson wanted Judy, but Suzan liked Chris and they totally, like, _boned_ hardcore and—"

Judy doubled over in laughter so hard that it hurt her stomach.

Nick's own joking caused him to chuckle at seeing how happy his partner was.

Wiping away tears trailing down her eyes, Judy shook her head and said, " _That_ was too funny…"

"So…did either of you…" Nick trailed off.

Judy looked at him confused. "Did we what?"

"Let me put it this way: rabbits are _very_ productive."

"Oh, cheese and crackers! Really!?"

"Yea! Did you?"

Judy was looking at the crowd, and after sitting for a moment, she decided to fess up. "No. Neither of them were what I was looking for in a mate. I don't know if you are aware of this, but bunnies are one of the few creatures that still mate for life. Sure, some go around and form fuckbuddy relationships, but others, like me, want our first times to be with the one we love and cherish the most."

Nick was silent, lost in thought. "I…I see." Nick faced forward, but didn't really look at anything. Foxes were another species that still mated for life, knotting only their chosen lifemate. Nick had mated vixens before, but not wanting to be tied down, he had never knotted one. Clearing his throat, Nick asked, "So, you're a, uh?"

"None of your business…, but yep." Judy answered, popping the 'p'.

"Ah," Nick clicked his tongue, his tone suggesting he stumbled upon revolutionary information. "I…I see. That, uh, *swallows thickly* m-makes sense." He tugged at his shirt collar, as if it was making it hard to breathe.

Judy didn't say anything and simply took another tiny drink of her beverage, but it may have been just to preoccupy herself due to being put on the spot.

Nick managed to find his voice and continued to egg her on.

"Probably for the best." Nick mused. "Mating should really be done with that truly special someone. Otherwise, it…it just feels…hollow."

"I take it that means you've got prior experience, huh?"

"Yeah." Nick answered softly. "Not…my greatest set of memories. After every time it happened, I always felt so…empty. No love. Just lust. And…disheartening, too. Nothing about it was…" He trailed off for a moment before smirking. "You probably dodged a bullet, you know? They probably didn't have any stamina. Just wham and bam. I mean, they were rabbits after all."

"Oh? And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Rabbit males? _C'mon_ , you _know_ what I mean. I bet they would've been quick and disappointing. No longevity. Probably small and not very satisfying, too."

Judy turned her body toward Nick. "Oh? You're saying _you_ can do better?"

The opening was there.

There was no way he would let it slide.

Nick's face held not a follicle of jest when he looked straight in her eyes and said with a small nod, "Damn straight, Fluff. You'd know why my last name is Wilde."

In her mind, Judy had no doubt that he was telling the truth, and it nearly made her wet at the thought of it. His hips, as she'd checked out many times before, were powerful, and the image of him pressed down upon her and relentlessly grinding her into submission in an attempt to force that red bulbous orb of his knot inside her entrance was overwhelmingly sensual and probed the right spots of her brain. She suddenly caught herself being too quiet. For fear of allowing him to think he had the upper hand, she opened her mouth and said the first thing that came to mind. "You're so full of yourself, you know." This was too easy.

Inside, Nick could only laugh. "And if you play your cards right," Nick raised a clawed finger, "you'll be full of hot, wet, and Wilde—"

" _Alright_!" she threw her paws up with defeated laughter. "Enough! _Gawd_! You sicko!"

Nick was about to throw out another risqué joke her way until a voice spoke from Judy's left.

"Excuse us!"

Both animals' ears perked at an erect state as their heads turned to see a small group of four standing in a cluster near the row entrance, drinks and food in hand. What caught Nick's eye was that one of the members stood as a female rabbit approximately Judy's height, and she was unmistakably, every once in a while, turning her Caribbean blue eyes from the stage directly onto Nick's, a small nearly invisible smile of hesitant, welcoming hanging from the ledge of her lips. For a moment, Nick thought it was the kind of smile exhibited due to worriment of not being accepted, and this caused him to feel somewhat responsible when she turned her look away from him somewhat bashfully. He'd seen the kind of expression before, especially around unaffiliated prey.

Judy scooted her legs up to allow passage, and Nick did the same.

The group thanked both occupants and sat in the remaining four seats next to them.

Nick turned to Judy, making a comment about the stadium, and the two seemed to dip their paws back into their conversation, but the rabbit who had plopped directly next to Nick fascinated him to a level of withdrawal. Her fur was an interesting shade of light brown that enveloped her head with the exception of her muzzle, neck, and whatever may be covered by the well-fitting custom Beach House t-shirt bought from the merchandise section back at the entrance. She smelled of a deep tropical perfume, a scent that Nick's powerful canine nose cried out at, and the aroma pushed thoughts of Pumas and other jungle life into his mind like when he and Judy had detected in the Jungle District. He used his peripheral vision to further examine the new lagomorph: a unique feature he caught was the pattern trailing along her miniscule ladylike arms and how the brown fur lightly faded away into an eggshell white at the base of her forearm until it reached the tips of her black claws protruding from each of her white paw fingers. Small splotches of circular white spots, not unlike a dairy cow, were splayed upon the side of her neck and perhaps on other areas of her body; clearly her genetics demanded that she was passed something from her father who may have exuded a similar pattern as the males usually determined the fur patterns when it came to inheritance. Nick couldn't help but partially think of the female vulpine who he had met back at the pub, and this was only spurred on by the recollections of a rocker-style girl due to the jewelry currently pinned at various points on the rabbit's face—a small pink stud lay above her right eyebrow, one was poking from her soft-pink left nostril, and a final miniscule blue ring looped from within the right side of her lip which was turned in the tiniest of smirks. Her long ears, slightly frayed at their tips, also held onto three or so pink piercings trailing up the smooth inner lining.

Nick thought of how easy it would be to lean over to Judy and make a _Hellraiser_ Pinhead joke, but it didn't feel right because this particular rabbit actually looked good rather than demonic.

Curiosity suddenly striking him, he leaned his elbows against his knees to get a view of the others.

Sipping on a Coors next to her was a skinny hyena looking every bit as "punkish" as the presumptive friend next to him. His hair, a short Mohawk-style fray of charcoal-dark brown threads trailing down to the back of his neck, sat between two perky muddy brown ears that proved to be a fitting contrast to the almost raccoon affiliated pattern of light brown masking his eyes like that of the fictional icon Zorro. He produced a lackadaisical aura about him, seeming to be completely relaxed and not bothered in the slightest by anything around him, and his age could have been anywhere between late twenties and early thirties, although it was difficult to tell. Grabbing several garlic fries from the greasy Styrofoam tray below him, the hyena's chocolate brown muzzle chomped up and down revealing a silver stud below his bottom lip and a plain gold septum ring looping through his nostril like a Disney cartoon bull. His arms, a much lighter brown when compared to his muzzle and hair, rippled in a dance of dark brown stripes that most hyena's bore at some location or another on their bodies, and like his rabbit counterpart, his forearms trailed into an even lighter form of brown until finally stopping at his paws. In the past, Nick and Finnick had tangled with hyenas as work associates; they were naturals when it came to shifting around and moving goods, and seeing this particular species of animal sitting two seats away from him caused a wave of nostalgia which clung onto memories flood in Nick's mind.

He was suddenly awoken by the feeling of a tiny elbow bumping into his arm.

Looking down, Nick saw that the brown rabbit had accidentally nudged him while shifting in her seat.

"Sorry!" she said, making eye contact with him for only a moment. Her look of worriment was projected from Nick to Judy who happened to be glancing over.

"No problem," Nick said in his best personable voice.

Judy was peering over from her seat. She suddenly shifted, leaning over her armrest, before exclaiming to the brown rabbit, "Oh _wow_! Those piercings are so _pretty_!"

The rabbit slightly bit her lip as she smiled, reminding Nick of how Judy similarly displayed her own enjoyment.

"Thanks!" she said sheepishly.

"I always thought of getting some on my ears," Judy said, touching the lining of the floppy pieces of flesh above her head.

"You should," the brown rabbit said. "They'd look good with your fur color."

"Thanks! I'm Judy, by the way!"

"Hey! I'm Christine!"

Both rabbits reached over Nick and lightly shook hands. The fox's nose twitched at seeing himself caught in the middle, and his eyes nearly crossed at trying to look at both paws touching.

"Sorry!" Christine laughed, noticing Nick's reaction.

"This is Nick," Judy said, putting both paws against his arm.

"Hi, Nick!" Christine's previous trepidation seemed to be dissolved entirely.

"Hey, Christine. Nice to meet you."

"You too!" Both animals shook hands, Nick's paw overtaking hers in a massive effect, but he was gentle enough to give her the message that everything was fine.

Christine shifted so that the hyena across from her was in view. "So, this is Bentley, and the two lions you see next to him are Derek and Veronica." Bentley gave a wave, but the two lions seemed to be preoccupied in a conversation.

Nick and Judy responded with their paws waving.

"So, where'd you get those done?" Judy asked, pointing to her own face.

" _The Midnight Den_. It's in the Rainforest District." Christine replied with a grin.

"Oh! Do you live close by it?"

"Actually, we live _in_ it. Bentley is my partner. We own a tour guide service."

" _No way_! What do you tour?"

"You ever see those boats floating underneath the bullet train bridges?"

"Yea."

"We own those."

" _So_ cool!"

"Yea! You guys should stop by some time. We have party boat services too. All sorts of fun stuff. It' a pretty happenin' place."

"That sounds fun! And it's funny that you mention something like that. Nick and I are partners too!"

"Yea?" Christine turned her gaze up at Nick. "What do you guys do?"

"We're police officers," Nick said.

Christine was searching her mind for a moment. She gazed into Nick's face, and then her eyes expanded with astonishment.

" _No_ —way! Holy shit! _Holyshit_! _Night Howlers_?!"

"Yea," Nick nodded, smiling. "We worked that case."

"I _thought_ I recognized you! I saw both of you guys on the news! This is so cool!" Christine shook Bentley's arm. "Did you hear that, Bent? These two worked on the Night Howler case! They practically saved the city!"

"I heard!" Bentley said, wiping his paw on a napkin and leaning over. "How are you doing?" He stuck his paw out which Nick firmly shook.

"Good, good!" Nick said.

"I have to say," Bentley started, taking another bite of a garlic fry, "major respect for what you guys do. I know a lot of people like to give cops shit about how certain things end up, but they don't realize what it takes. Mad respect for you guys. Got a brother-in-law in enforcement back West."

"Aw, no kidding," Nick said nodding. "Thanks, by the way."

"Yea." Continuing to converse back and forth with the two new animals for the next twenty minutes, Nick and Judy found out quite a bit about their lives and vice versa.

Christine, having lived in Bunnyburrow for only two years when she was very young, moved with her mother and father to Zootopia where she attended Community Springs Tundra College to major in art, but her dreams and aspirations fell somewhat short when her father unexpectedly fell during work due to a searing pain in his right shoulder blade. The news had followed, and soon the tragedy became real when the diagnosis for cancer came through. Being an unconventional rabbit family with only four siblings, she and her mother had been affected in the worst way, and it didn't even take a fraction of a second for Christine to put a hold on everything and return home to the inner heart of Zootopia where she worked full-time at a Starbucks to leverage a side of income for her parents. Her mother begged her not to, told her to pursue what she wanted, but Christine's stubbornness and love for her father reigned above all else. She would spend the next several months driving her father back and forth to chemotherapy, and did so until his death. It hadn't been until she was visiting relatives in the Meadowlands that she met Bentley through a friend of a friend.

His keen sense of business savvy and her determination to get things done proved to be the perfect ingredient for success, something Nick and Judy could relate to on more than one level. It would seem both of these new friends were in many ways the unspoken doppelgangers of the two police officers sitting side by side. Both groups of animals felt such a strong connection to one another that Judy and Christine added each other in their phone contacts and Bentley gave Nick his business card with an address and number if he ever felt crazy enough to visit the Rainforest District and hitch a ride on one of the boats.

Having to go to the restroom, Judy and Christine hopped up and trotted off, still wildly talking about their lives and interests.

Nick smiled, watching both of them walk off, glad that Judy had made a new friend.

"So," Bentley asked, "how long you and Judy know each other?"

"About six months now. Well…a little before, but we weren't work partners then."

"Ah. I see. That must be interesting…a fox and rabbit working together. Does anyone ever give you shit?"

"Not as much as you'd think. I mean, we work well together, so it's not like we're not compatible, you know."

"Yea." The hyena was nodding, and then he turned and looked at Nick square in the eyes. "I was just wondering, 'cause, well, you know how this place can be sometimes."

"Oh yea. Trust me, I know. Felt it my whole life."

"Are you two…" Bentley stopped for a moment, deciding whether or not he wanted to speak of what he was loading up for.

"Are we…" Nick trailed off.

"Are you two part of one of those Hybrid Clubs or something?"

Nick's head flinched at the question. He honestly had no idea what Bentley was talking about. " _Hybrid_ Clubs?"

"Yea…you know, like for… _unconventional_ couples."

Nick's muzzle slowly turned in a half-grin. "No, we aren't. Didn't realize there was such a thing."

"Yea. Not many do. It's kinda' hush-hush. But…I don't know. We've had many take tours on our boats before, so I learned about it from there."

"Ah. I see." Nick examined the stage and saw that the roadies were setting up the musician's instruments, a clear sign that the concert was nearing. Turning his head back to Bentley, Nick asked, "So, why do you think we're a part of a…what did you call it…a Hybrid Club?"

Bentley's rows of sharp teeth shone between his blackened canine lips. "I mean…you guys don't really do a good job of hiding it."

"How so?"

"It's pretty obvious, dude. I can't imagine anyone else thinking you're _not_ a couple. You guys make it pretty loud and clear."

Nick felt his heart beating faster. He stayed quiet for a moment and then looked at Bentley's face. "You serious?" he asked.

"Serious as a heart attack."

" _Shit_ …" Nick nearly whispered. And then a thought suddenly crossed his mind, but rather than let it marinate inside, he tossed it out into the open. "I don't know, man. If that were true, I would think we'd have gotten our asses kicked at this point."

Bentley chuckled as if he knew something Nick didn't.

"What?" Nick asked.

"Probably thirty years ago, yea, I could see that happening. But now. Nah, man. Not now. Shit. I've seen stranger stuff before."

"Ha! You make it sound like it's a _normal_ thing."

"Well, it's not as _not-normal_ as you're making it out to be, trust me. I've had many, many couples who weren't the same species go through our tours, and I've met them travelling and so on."

"And are they affected?"

"Say what?"

"Do they lead a good life?"

"Yea. From the sounds of it. Working, having fun. Hell, it's not like they sprout two heads, man."

"Hm. Right. I just find it bizarre that you say its normal and in the same breath you comment about a secret club that not very many people know about. It just seems…hypocritical."

"Well I'm not saying it's all alright, and I'm not saying it isn't viewed as taboo. All I'm saying is it's not as bad as you make it out to be."

Both Nick and Bentley remained quiet for a while, going back to examining the sounds and continuous movement of the stadium.

"What types of species do you see with each other?" Nick suddenly asked. He couldn't help himself at this point—his curiosity had got the better of him.

"You name it—wolves with sheep, pandas with koalas, shepherds with cats. Everything."

"Wow…"

"And by the way, you sound awfully curious for someone who claims he isn't into rabbits."

Nick's lids slid down into an examining stare. "I would toss that back at you and say you know an awfully lot about the topic of interspecies relationships for someone who isn't in one," Nick said.

Bentley's lips turned up in a smirk of what appeared to be secretive knowledge. "That I do," was all he said, and then quietly added, "And by the way, I haven't made any claims about my relationships yet."

Nick cocked his head to the side. His mouth opened to say something, but nothing came out. Instead, he sat mulling over everything that had just been said.

After a while, he sensed two familiar bodies approaching.

"Welcome back!" Bentley said.

Judy and Christine sat back in their claimed seats.

"Hey, Nick! _Look_!" Judy brought up a large Beach House shirt, black in color and bigger than anything she could wear. "For you!"

" _What_? Me?"

"Yea!"

"Aw, thanks, Carrots!" Nick held the shirt up and admired the feral bluebird. He wrapped a paw around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze of affection.

"That's for getting me all the cool stuff at the marketplace. Now we're even!"

"The stuff I got you could be bought at a dollar store! This…this is really nice, though…thank you!"

"You're welcome!"

Nick folded the shirt, and he could feel as though he was being looked at. He turned to see Christine smiling at him.

"Hey," Nick casually said. "Sup Busy-Bunny?"

Christine giggled and looked as though she wanted to say something but couldn't. Nick picked up on this and gave her a simple, quick nod of his head.

She glanced over to see Judy tapping away at her phone. Leaning forward, Christine whispered at Nick, "She was right about you."

"Huh?"

It was time.

A moment of change.

A time when space and matter meant nothing.

The lights suddenly dimmed. Before anything else could be said, the roaring of the crowd drowned out anything that could possibly be deciphered, and a deep, artificial humming of the sound system prepared the audience for what would in moments be the opening song—at this point, it was hard to predetermine the oncoming ballad, and every audience member could only hope that it was their favorite. Lights blasting forth heavy rays of dark blue and red twisted and lit upon the darkened stage, and a movement of bodies could be seen walking out onto the animal-made island, swaggering in front of a monstrous roar of love and affection projected from complete and utter strangers. Everyone stood up from their seat, including Nick and Judy, and the illumination of cellphones capturing video clips could be seen lining up the blackness of the audience which floated up and down like blackened waters. The band members, a mere two individuals backed with raw talent, were revealed to be dressed in dark blue clothing, the female lead singer clad in a long flowing dress that almost had a medieval look to it, her counterpart in a smooth button up shirt, and as the ambient sounds kicked up, a screech of an electronic guitar signaled that the song "Sparks" would be the first performed this evening. The cheers signified everyone's approval, and Nick's eyes quickly found Judy who was hopping up and down like a child on Christmas morning. Her excitement caused her to latch onto Nick's arm with her paw, and his own reverie allowed her to stay there with not even a minor worry infesting his thoughts.

As the lyrics were sung from a voice of silk, Nick found himself mouthing the words along with Judy and soon they were slowly moving side to side with everyone else. No inhibitions. A numbing of the senses.

It was _here_.

It was _**now**_.

Within this place of perfect imperfection, everyone's unfiltered pretenses had been put to a halt, their stubborn ideas forgotten for even only five minutes at a time, and a contentment unlike anything experienced in the outside world could be felt building into a thing of proportions equal to that of a leviathan.

Judy now had both of her arms around Nick's left forearm, and she was almost hugging it in a way, still rocking back and forth. Her ears were slightly lowered, not from sadness but rather from being so immersed in everything that was occurring.

Nick smiled, feeling true happiness shed his emotional shell. This process continued as the concert progressed. Every so often, Nick would lean down to Judy to say something about the music, and on occasion Judy would tug on his shirt to get his attention, telling him of moments in the song she liked or reminding him of when they had heard a particular tune together, specifically "10:37" while in the police cruiser, which Nick jubilantly admired. Moments later, in the darkness of the stadium, as the lights waltzed across the audience, Nick looked over to see Christine standing exceptionally close to Bentley, and a mass feeling of lightheadedness overtook Nick once he realized they were both holding paws—not just holding, but _clasping_ in a way that could only be associated with an intimate relationship. It wasn't mistakable, and it most certainly hadn't been an illusion on Nick's part. They were there, amongst thousands, and not one individual cared. To double check this, Nick looked around to see everyone focused on the musicians. It was true. Not one animal made a single effort to ruin the rabbit and hyena's bliss.

 _This_ made Nick realize what it was that Bentley had been trying to tell him—that this world, bound by its limitations of physics and gravity and mathematics, could not bind the limitations of the species that inhabited it as long as that species refused to be beaten and lived by the philosophy of perseverance above all else. And there were two right next to him that did just that…in fact, they were flourishing it seemed.

 _Give in_.

This was what floated in the air like a ghost wanting to be known.

 _Give in, Nick_.

As the band shifted into "Bluebird", he looked down to the rabbit he's come to know as someone near and dear to him, and without giving himself a chance to logically maneuver his body into doing something other than what he longed for at this very moment, his paw, like a snake, coiled around her and clasped onto her hip in a soft grip, gently pulling her in closer to him with the sole objective of feeling her heat and supple body. And he did. She did not falter in the slightest nor did she do anything but project acceptance. They remained like this for a while, adjusting to this unique feeling, and as the chord-induced ending of the featured concert song came about, they both sat down on their seat to take a break from standing.

Neither of them had to say anything.

Their eyes simply peered into one another, shimmering by the twisting lightshow.

It was a message spoken without speaking.

He was tired of fighting this feeling.

Tired of losing himself in an riddled with upturned rocks and melancholy memories and sensations of inner-doubt…a feeble battle, a lost chance at something new, a monumental disappointment built from scratch; it was here that he—that _they_ —needed change to happen, and it was only here among their deepest fears that it could be made possible…and both of them knew this because in the instant that the near-choral piece "Days of Candy" (the bands final song before the encore) began to play, they could feel their paws clasp onto one another as they sat atop the armrest.

A flow of time unknown to anyone other than the two sitting next to each other set itself in place of everything else occurring, and Nick couldn't help himself: the beast, the caged animal, the muzzled vulpine that had been trapped in his mind for so long finally tore through the metal bars of the cage. His paw slowly trailed down and found itself resting on the bare fur of Judy's inner-thigh, slowly rubbing up and down in small movements, and when Nick turned back his muzzle to look at her, he was met with a pair of half-lidded purple eyes in a state of complete bliss, staring back at him with a look unlike anything he'd seen the little rabbit give him before.

And then the greatest of motions happened.

It was the sexiest thing Nick has ever experienced, even beyond the act itself, and it was so subtle in its existence that had he not been paying close attention, he very well may have missed it—her strong legs, shivering and radiating heat beyond measure, opened only what could have been no more than an inch, just enough to allow him further access. It was a projection of her wanting him. It was a sign that she needed his every inch.

That was it.

This was the ripple effect caused from this newly cast stone.

Taking her by the hand, Nick quickly guided Judy up along the concrete steps to the outer section of the stadium. She didn't ask questions, nor did she show any indication that she cared about their early departure. Both animals willingly left the band right then and there, and had anyone been examining them, they would have seen a strong and determined vulpine walking a diminutive rabbit outside of the concert toward a section of the building not in view of anyone. And it was _here_ , _outside_ , for _all the world to_ _**see**_ , where Nick press Judy's back against the wall, lifting her up by the hips against his thighs, and then he jutted his muzzle forward, mashing it against hers in a ferocious kiss of passion so welled up that neither of them had time to catch their own breath. Her legs wrapped around his thighs and her toes curled as their tongues ran across each other's faces. He could feel a wave of warmth between her legs underneath her sundress as he ground his crotch against hers like an animal in heat, and his ferocity found pinholes to leak through the predator portions of his mind.

Without even realizing he was doing it, his teeth ran across her neck, lightly grazing her as if she was a piece of tenderized meat, and her moaning was the greatest thing he could have possibly heard at a time like this; it was a verification that her attraction to his dominant side was not an apparition but a _reality_. Saliva dripped from their mouths and trailed down onto the concrete. It had been surprisingly easy to accommodate their muzzles' size difference in a sense of compatibility, but it did prove to an exceptionally messy task, especially on Nick's side of things considering his rough and long fox tongue would not stop and continued to trail its way across her lips, mouth, and neck like it was longing for its thirst to be quenched.

Unable to speak other than in deep moans, Judy's claws dug into Nick's neck scruff and he could feel her grinding her own thighs and crotch against his, urging his erection to slope down at full mass and press snugly against his shorts like a massive spear. Her smell and taste was everything he had hoped for: succulent, salty, and his paws squeezed firmly against either of her firm ass cheeks, eliciting another moan from her wet lips.

Stopping for a minute to catch his breath and leaving a trail of saliva in between their mouths, Nick looked into Judy's sex-filled eyes.

"Do you have any fucking idea what you do to me?" he asked in between his panting. In one swift movement, he felt one of Judy's legs flexibly unclasp from behind him and her foot paw was suddenly pressed hard against his crotch. He let out a loud moan as her toes ran against the knot, which was now about the size of a small baseball, swelling in his underwear. He was absolutely huge, and it took Judy by surprise.

"Fuck," she softly proclaimed in astonishment. "I have an idea now, stud."

Both of them looked into each other's eyes, and they went back to kissing. Judy wrapped her legs around him again and tried to take the initiative, grabbing ahold of his lip with her auxiliary incisors and tugging on it like a predator. He let out a slight chuckle at her efforts and wrapped his tongue around hers before once again opening his muzzle and grabbing ahold of her neck with his teeth.

The moan she let out this time was louder and a sudden fear enveloped Nick, especially the deep and possible thought of another animal coming upon them by happenchance and mistaking what was happening as something truly negative.

He could see the headlines now: _Fox Mauling Rabbit Brought in for Rabies Test!_

Rather than continue and have something as silly as that happen, Nick slowly lowered Judy from his grasp, kneeling down for a moment to give her another parade of licks and kisses against her mouth, and then he stood up, clasping her paw in his again. She did not take offense or question his motives, another silent demonstration of her trust and willingness to allow him to take the lead as the predator, and he stood for a moment, trying to get his erection to fade. It took a monumental effort, but he finally managed, and Judy seemed to be silently entertained at seeing him try and control himself in such a manner.

They were wordless as they walked back to the pickup. Neither had to speak about what was happening because the gravity of the situation finally fell atop their heads. Judy looked as though she was mulling over things carefully and seemed to be in a complete daze at having just done something she could only accomplish in the darkest sections of her imagination. Nick was not too far off, but he was more concerned about what the rabbit who he had just been ravishing with his mouth thought about. The truth of the matter was they both knew what each of them were contemplating: _How will we take it from here_? It was an important and life altering question, one that bore the weight of the world and then some. But they finally reached this point. Where before it had only been a dark fantasy, they literally had just walked away from a messy make-out session unlike anything either of them had experienced.

Stepping into the pickup, they both closed their doors and simply sat.

Nick glanced over to see Judy slightly illuminated by the parking lot lights and still deep in thought.

Rather than probe further, he started the vehicle.

For the next several minutes, Nick steered as he made his way across town and then back to central Zootopia.

Driving through the streets gave Nick a chance to think things through. He wanted to play out everything that—

"Pull over here," Judy demanded out of nowhere. She was pointing to the side of the street near a row of meters.

Without questioning, Nick obeyed.

As soon as he stopped and parked the pickup, Judy unbuckled her seatbelt and crawled over the middle console with purpose and ferocity. She straddled Nick like a cowgirl, pressing her defined thighs and crotch firmly against him, and then she began to feverishly kiss his lips and muzzle, running her small pink tongue across his with fiery passion, small gasps of breath being taken anytime she could gather herself.

Nick's paws crept underneath her sundress, running up along the front of her thighs, and he was surprised to find that what she wore underneath barely covered anything; it was as if a thin, barely noticeable string of fabric was the only thing between him and a warm tunnel in need of proper stimulation and size. Rather than rip the panties aside, he let his paws squeeze her bare buttocks and he edged her forward even further, feeling his erection once again build into something that would more than likely need a good pumping sometime tonight if nothing other than this happened.

This second round of kissing was now a learning experience for them, a curve of new ideas and revelations; whereas before they had never had a chance to understand each other's quirks, this session revealed the high-pitched, yet undeniably sexy moans Judy would let fly from her mouth every time Nick's paws managed to squeeze her rump, and this was proven to be even more of a truism when he managed to grab ahold of her teardrop tail and lightly give it a tug. One would have thought he was massaging her clitoris. Her gasps turned him on so much that he thought he might orgasm in his shorts.

However, the same could be said for Judy's perspective: she was unaware until this point of how soft Nick's muzzle actually was, and his own heavy breathing and occasional panting like a dog was spurned on further whenever her hands managed to run along his abs, teasing him like a cat playing with a stuffed rat. His eyebrows were turned down in utter pleasure, and she could only wonder what cute face he would make, what snarl his teeth would gnash in when he let loose his seed.

Continuing like this for minutes more, they finally stopped. It had been a joint effort, and Judy's heavy breathing came out in wafts as she remained straddled on Nick but now backed away from his muzzle.

"This is the hottest I've ever been," she said with slight amazement to her voice.

"Same."

"But…" she bit her lip, a trait Nick found incredibly sexy.

"But what?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to ruin this."

Nick nodded. "We won't. You won't."

"Do you mind if we…"

Nick nodded, understanding where this was going. "We can wait," he finished for her.

"Yea," she said with minor disappointment in her voice. "Is that a bad thing to ask? I just…I like you so much that…"

"It's not a problem at all. We'll move at your pace. This is new to both of us. At least the idea of two animals like us kissing is new."

"Yea, it is."

"Here," Nick grabbed Judy's hips and lifted her off of his lap.

"Nick!" she giggled. "So _strong_."

"So _tiny_ ," he said in reference to her. "Let me drive you home."

"Okay…you're not disappointed?"

"How could I be. I just accomplished something I wanted to do for the longest time."

The distance between their second spot of kissing and Judy's apartment was not too far, but in that time, it felt long. Their silence, while not awkward, was beginning to build, and by the time it reached its limit, Nick had the pickup pulled next to Judy's apartment.

"You could have driven over to your apartment first, Nick!"

"No," he said shaking his head. "I need a good walk. Fresh air."

"Okay. If you say so. I…I really need to think things through too."

Both of them looked at each other, and the question demanded attention.

"Do you…" Nick felt a lump forming in his throat. Never had he felt this vulnerable before.

Not since his mother had been beaten in front of his very eyes.

"Do you regret what happened?" he asked. "Do you regret _us_?"

"No!" Judy answered, passionately. Her voice and countenance softened, "No, not at all. I didn't mean it like that. I just…"

Nick could feel his head nodding. "You just what?" He desperately needed to know.

"I just know what this all might mean. And it's finally starting to process with me. It's…big. It's everything."

Nick only nodded. He knew exactly what she spoke of.

A monumental change.

It was here, and made itself known like a battering to the head.

Judy's paws were now fumbling with each other. She looked down at her feet paws.

"Can I call you tomorrow?" Nick asked.

A smile spread on her face and she turned back to Nick before leaning forward. She gave him a long kiss and he returned it back, trying his hardest to not turn into a beast again.

"Yes," she said. "Of course, you can. I would think something was wrong if you didn't."

"M'kay."

Gathering her purse and bag of purchased items, she turned to open the door of the pickup and on her way out Nick could see her small rabbit tail shake back and forth, unable to contain the excitement she felt.

Before closing the door, she turned back to Nick and said, "Goodnight Nick. I had so much fun."

"Night, Carrots. Me too." The door closed, and Nick watched Judy walk into her apartment entrance.

She stopped for only a moment, taking that time to glance back at him, and then she disappeared into the building.

Putting both paws behind his head and letting out a long breath of air, Nick's euphoria pulsated in his veins. He sat thinking of oblivion and implosion like he had done many times before in the police car. But _this_ time, there was no purpose drizzled with depression.

Rather, it was him recalling how he could have never been in such a state before today. There was no reason for it, and he could feel himself moving in a direction that revealed a startling revelation.

In the darkness of his old home's kitchen, his mother had once said that in the end every animal is left with nothing, but what she had not told him was something far scarier, something far more imposing: Being left with nothing only hurts if you've had something to lose.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Lunch at Chateau Hopps

The October morning was a precursor to the chill that November would eventually cast over the city of animals. It seemed to come without warning, like a sudden transition clip in a movie scene that takes its audience by surprise.

Outside, the evidence had been visible without the accommodating feeling: piles of yellowing leaves—a frozen sheet of scabs scattered across the ground—lay on a bed of light frost, the crisp air lingering and easily smelled everywhere one walked, a pungent aroma filled with nostalgia and dread for those associated with warm weather. It was overt, crystalline, and gave comfort to those who remained snuggled in their bedsheets, especially a particularly comfy vulpine who did not have to report in to Zootopia Police Department as a result of taking two personal days so that he and Judy could experience a concert that turned out to be better than any dream or fantasy could possibly manifest.

Nick still couldn't believe what had happened. It was completely surreal to him, something he never thought possible. Last night, his walk home and subsequent descent into bed had demonstrated to be bittersweet in that his mind had wandered through scenarios and what seemed like every logical next step to take—the cogs had been turning, the pistons firing—and as a result, he could not find the time to allow himself to fall into slumber. Her lips, her expressions, her moans, and her body…worst of all, her _body_ had utterly plagued his thoughts, but when he finally found a way to rationalize the evening's surprise and explain to himself that he had already experienced the hardest part of whatever it was he and Judy were starting, the sleep he had reeled in had been the most comfortable and soundless he'd ever experienced in his entire life.

And here he lay the next day, troubled by the fact that she was not around him.

His craving for her was even stronger now than it had ever been, and he could only hope she felt the same way he did.

She had to. He had seen the lust in her eyes, felt it.

She simply _had_ to.

Fighting with himself to draw back into a dream state, Nick lay in the comfort of his apartment amongst a pile of bedsheets and turned pillows, his red and white boxers the only line of clothing separating him from the warmness of the room and the morning iciness of the outside world. He turned his muzzle to see that his iPhone sat plugged in at its regular position on the black nightstand (set near the infamous photograph of Judy startling him by hopping onto his head), and his paw reached over to click the awake button to reveal that he had not slept too far into the day. Having an internal clock programmed at this point made it very difficult to extend beyond an hour or two without automatically waking up, and today, even after a late night, proved to be no different. He slid through the photograph reel saved in his phone, examining picture after picture of Judy, recalling how good she felt last night, how predatorial and _hot_ she had become during their make-out session in the seating of her very own pickup, and the thought alone was enough to nearly make him hard again. She'd wanted him so _badly_ , she'd wanted to be _dominated_ by _him_ in a predatorial way, and _he_ wanted _her_ ; however, the newness of the situation paired with the deep fear either of them felt seemed to have prevented the act to go further. It was probably for the best though. After all, they both needed time to digest the enormity of what happened. The last thing either of them wanted was to tarnish whatever it was that was happening with an action that would later on result in awkwardness and regret.

This was _special_ , and he knew it.

Special beyond anything he's ever experienced, so treading carefully would be the best route to take.

He rose from his bed and stretched his arms, the blood shooting back into his head and momentarily making him see stars.

His apartment was moderately well lit from the sun peeking its way above the Western hills surrounding Zootopia, and what lay before him was a place that did not seem so melancholy any more. He had always prided himself on being a clean and organized fox regardless of what his previous lifestyle deemed, having spent many of his years moving from place to place in haphazard fashion, and this was no different now that he actually had a location to call home. The floor to ceiling windows, draped closed, overlooked his living room, which was very spacious and connected directly to the steel and glass dinner table where white Zuo-style diner chairs loitered next to a modern four-bulb light fixture hanging from the ceiling and dangling above a point in space where he had eaten so many meals by himself. A white and grey rug frayed at its ends was set near his flat screen television and underneath a Nova brand couch which complimented the eggshell painted walls perfectly, and the pictures paired with the decorative casings nailed and hanging around his apartment screamed of modern city life wrapped in a metaphor—squared, arranged at simple angels, and juxtaposed with a sense of sophistication; it was everything and anything all at once. The cleanliness of the fox could only be demonstrated through how minimalist and organized his kitchen was, which sat in the open and was covered in chrome, including the tall and girthy refrigerator chocked full of produce, meats, and ingredients for his favorite meals, many of which were taught to him by his mother before he had abandoned his old life. He'd often cook for himself, and was actually very good at it, a trait known to very few animals other than himself; Judy had not even been made aware of the fact. Secretive, or at least being somewhat reserved for personal comfort, could be the describing factors of Nick's private life, and he liked it that way.

Padding over to his bedroom closet, he slid open the doors and grabbed a set of Nick-esque clothing (a red button up shirt and black tie paired with loose-fitting jeans) and made his way into his white-tiled bathroom. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he couldn't help but notice how much livelier his eyes seemed, how _un_ dead they were at their most inner core when compared to how he had felt in the last couple months' past, and his medicine, his therapy, had come from the one animal he always knew could help him attain this wonderful state of mind: a rabbit…a biologically opposing primal enemy, stubborn yet undeniably smart.

He smirked at thinking how amazing he felt, and clapped both paws together when he realized his chest was ballooning into an air pocket of giddiness reminiscent to how he had felt before the daunting and horrid realization hit him that his childhood self was about to be muzzled. As he kept these thoughts at the forefront of his mind, he shed himself of his boxers and cranked on the shower to a warm temperature. The water hit his fur, and he began the task of washing himself the best any animal could. It was somewhat of an unspoken truth, the difficulty behind cleaning a body filled with fur, and Nick understood this every morning when he lathered himself with special fox conditioner and shampoo that dug deep inside of his thick coat, leaving behind a white shower bottom filled with threads of red.

As his claws scraped into his belly fur, his mind mused how much easier this could be with a certain small rabbit standing in front of him, her paws softly scrubbing along his abs, cleaning his back and then behind with a delicacy only she could commend his way. She'd certainly seemed like she was willing to do something like that yesterday, perhaps even more. The thought alone of her small paws softly massaging him, trailing up his inner thighs to rest upon his heavy balls made the tip of his member poke its way from his gorging sheath, and all that was male about him, all that encompassed the sections of his brain reserved for instinct and reproduction sent him into a frenzy of mental images: her tiny mouth and tongue licking along the side of his canine penis, her paws grabbing at his knot and rubbing along it in circular motions, her taking as much of him as she could in her maw and then gagging at realizing how much work she would have out for her, perhaps giggling at the feat and then finally doing him proud by getting almost half of it in. Nick couldn't help this. He couldn't flush out the thoughts imprinting themselves in his head: it was biology taking its toll on him, rudely gnashing its way beyond respect and dignity, and before he knew it, he had his own paw around himself and was stroking his hardening dick just the way he liked, picturing her body and how it felt yesterday.

Knowing full well he was exceptionally large for a fox, he imagined the difficulty it would be to try and accommodate his girth and length for a small frame like Judy's, and as his paw grooved over the slick and red veiny tool jutting from his sheath, he used his other to stimulate the swelling ball filling itself at the root of his cock. He imagined the tightness of Judy—it would more than likely be overbearingly soft and clutch him in a painfully powerful squeeze—and her gasps and moans of approval, her running her arms around him and clutching him by his behind as to not let him unlock from her, would be the final touch just enough to send him into a frothing mess panting over her. Picturing these things, he jerked himself off for a while, edging his rising orgasm in a careful manner as to make the final explosion all the more powerful, and in his fantasy, he made sure to envision himself on top of her, grinding down into her fully before he let loose a torrent of pent-up cum against the plastic tiling of the shower stall, spurting against it so hard that it made an identifiable sound as it made contact with the surface.

He let out a loud growl and gnashed his sharp teeth together as his paw continued to milk his knot before the afterglow of his masturbation subsided entirely along with his retreating member which first stood erect and throbbing for what seemed like minutes. He stood, catching his breath. And as if nothing had happened, as if what had transpired was a simple exercise for the day, he let the water rolling off of him clean off the wall and continued with the rest of his shower routine before shutting off the water and drying his fur into a slick and clean state.

The canine male mind—a simple lever in regard to sex. On and off in the blink of an eye. Nick found that thought slightly amusing.

He then thought of something else.

Had she ever done something similar: pleasuring herself to the thought of him? _More than likely_ , his inner voice chimed in.

Or perhaps he hoped. Either way, the attraction she had for him had been more than loud yesterday. And her being a rabbit meant she had to get pent up or more than one occasion.

How she would respond to him once their closeness dictated they become intimate beyond kissing could only be guessed, but as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror blow drying his damp fur, the less frightened he was of the possible answer. Much of his morning routine, from him finalizing the drying of his damp fur to him scrubbing his fangs with powerful teeth whitener, was filled with thoughts of what he and Judy were going through. In no way, did he want to begin labelling what was occurring as something beyond a deep connection; even the simplicity of the phrases "romantically involved" or "girlfriend" or "seeing each other" seemed off-putting at the moment because the event seemed to have happened so organically, so spontaneously, that placing it into categories tasted of hastiness, or at least it did at this very moment. Certainly, they were attracted to one another on a sexual level, that much could be seen and felt, but at which point either of them saw the state of their newfound want and desire for each other could only be inferred through their prior actions and conversations.

Last night, she had seemed to be slightly confused about their treading into new waters and rightfully so: it could not be denied that she was prey… _prey_. Nick let the word settle in his mind. Prey. A species whose bloodline was filled with eons of instinctual DNA programming with the sole purpose to make them fear the one creature who could very well end their lives and had once done so long ago before animal code and law set itself in the forefront of society. Foxes and rabbits. The difficulty of fighting off such a program for the average rabbit could be nearly impossible, but to feel an attraction for the "enemy" species, to have the desire to want that creature inside of oneself for the sake of pleasure, may no doubt be one hell of a rollercoaster of emotions.

 _And she's experiencing this now,_ Nick's mind told him. _Check on her._

He nodded. "Check on her," he said aloud to himself. He needed to see how she was feeling and understand where she stood.

He grabbed his iPhone from his nightstand, walked out to his kitchen, and then pulled up a diner chair and sat at his dinner table. He didn't know why his heart was thumping so hard. He'd had thousands of conversations with her via texting before. What was one more? Grasping the phone in both paws, he began typing the message he wanted to send since he awoke: **Slick Nick:** Hey!

Sitting back, Nick waited, thinking of how he wanted to see her so badly, to feel her again. He sat for only a minute or so until he was met with a reply: **Carrots:** Hi.

The smile on his face was broad. A small part of him had him second guessing, and he tried not to read too hard into the period she placed after her greeting.

At that point, their conversation unfolded: **Slick Nick:** So, how are you?

 **Carrots:** Good. A little tired. Didn't get much sleep.

 **Slick Nick:** Me neither. My mind wouldn't let me.

 **Carrots:** Yea…

 **Slick Nick:** I think it's appropriate to say that I had a lot of fun yesterday. Not just the last part, too. Everything about it.

 **Carrots:** Me too. It was the most fun I've ever had.

 **Slick Nick:** Really? Most? Like _ever_?

 **Carrots:** Yes! I can't think of a time that I had that was more fun. Hanging around you is the best.

 **Slick Nick:** Aw, I'm blushing.

 **Carrots:** Really? That's a first. Lol.

 **Slick Nick:** I also have to say that you felt amazing yesterday. I'd never kissed anyone like that before. No vixen especially.

 **Carrots:** You felt amazing too. I haven't kissed anyone like that either. I didn't want to stop. How long have you wanted to do that?

 **Slick Nick:** Ever since we became partners. And actually, if I'm being really honest with myself, probably before I even joined the force. Probably when we were nearing the end of the Night Howler case. You?

 **Carrots:** When we first moved in the office and you were carrying your things in. The look u gave me. I still haven't forgotten it. I had a difficult couple of days afterward.

 **Slick Nick:** Difficult?

 **Carrots:** Just trying to figure out if what was happening was really happening.

 **Slick Nick:** You mean prey being attracted to a predator?

 **Carrots:** Yea.

 **Slick Nick:** Speaking of that, what have you been thinking about now since yesterday?

 **Carrots:** Just…everything. My parents tried calling about something and I ignored it. I texted them and told them I'd get back to them later. I don't know if I can talk to anyone right now.

 **Slick Nick:** You're talking to me…

 **Carrots:** I am.

 **Slick Nick:** Are you not feeling right about what happened?

 **Carrots:** I've wanted that to happen for so long. I just didn't think it would mess with my mind so much.

 **Slick Nick:** Oh. I'm sorry. Is it bad?

 **Carrots:** No, don't be! And no, it isn't _bad_! I didn't mean it like that. I'm just really frightened is all.

 **Slick Nick:** You shouldn't be. If we're attracted to each other then there's nothing we should be afraid or ashamed of.

 **Carrots:** I know. It's just…I don't know how I'm going to go about my life after this weekend. How will we act around others? Will we let something slip? And then what will happen?

 **Slick Nick:** Then you just remember my little motto…

 **Carrots:** Yea? That simple?

 **Slick Nick:** Yes! Absolutely. We'll get through this. I'll be there with you throughout it. I think that's all the matters. I'm tired of letting others dictate how I feel. Aren't you?

 **Carrots:** Yes, I am. You're right.

 **Slick Nick:** Course I am, Fluff.

 **Carrots:** lol. And you're still smug.

 **Slick Nick:** One of my many traits you find sexy, right?

 **Carrots:** Maybe…

 **Slick Nick:** What do you plan on doing today?

 **Carrots:** Nothing. Laze around. Think. Netflix maybe.

 **Slick Nick:** Can I laze and think with you? I can bring something to eat. We can watch a movie? Maybe if you're lucky, you can end up tying tongues with me again;)

 **Carrots:** lol. Yea, I'd love that.

 **Slick Nick:** k. I'll be over soon.

 **Carrots:** Okay

Nick quickly rose from his seat, a goofy smile plastered on his face, and after adjusting his clothing and slipping on his black tie, he stood in front of the mirror in his bedroom to see how he looked. His assessment results made him happy and humbled that he had been given such good genetics, a large portion from his mother no doubt, but the few memories he held of his father reminded him that his eyes were inherited from this mysterious fox whom he could only recall in vagaries. A vulpine that seemed to be connected to everything affiliated to enigma, Nick could only pinpoint certain traits that his father had: the smell of an Old Spice aftershave, a deep laugh, a strong forearm that hugged the young kit's side with perhaps love. Everything about the abandoner was fractured and placed in dusty shelves in his memory, not quite clear yet not quite entirely forgotten. It frustrated Nick to think that perhaps he did have a slight felling of love for someone he could only recall in a partial sense. It angered him as well.

But today, everything seemed different. Everything seemed more in place. An individual's eyes spoke volumes about animals, especially the vulpine bloodline, and in the past, one might have said the eyes of this particular fox who stood before the mirror spoke of a broken history, of a father with a dark side shrouded by depression, but at this moment in time, anyone could have been fooled: what stared at himself in the mirror was a face of complete contentment—true there was a slight fear lingering with a fine thread of doubt that his dreams were flourishing—but the look of complete bliss and rebirth outshined whatever small traces of negativity might have been hovering behind his green lenses. In truth, he had not felt this good in a long, long time, and it reminded him how foolish he had been to think that it was true that every animal was left with nothing in the end.

It made him feel sympathy for the creature who had once told him such a thing.

Giving himself a firm nod, he stepped away from his mirror and clasped over his wrist his silver birthday watch given to him from Judy. It was expensive looking, definitely something beyond what a normal friend would buy for another animal, and Nick had been positively astonished at receiving it and remembered feeling a sense that she liked him more than she had been leading on. That birthday was when he had first caught her eyeing his body and her subsequent intoxication throughout the night had given her enough courage to sit upon his lap while drunkenly bantering about their lives. Their exchange of gifts since then seemed to always propose a mutual want and desire for each other's approval and affection. Looking back on it, Nick felt silly in thinking their eventual attraction could have been anything other than inevitable. He turned the watch as it sat against his wrist, tapped it with his claw while smiling, and then put on his aviator sunglasses before covering himself in a light jacket.

Stepping out of his apartment, Nick made sure his door was locked, and just as he was about to turn, a voice rang out like a tiger leaping out of the shrubbery for its prey.

"Nicholas!" Nick's tail fur jolted out and the fur on the back of his neck stood up in a state of shock. He turned to see the tenant living two doors down, an old shrew with thick prescription glasses.

"Jesus…hey, Mrs. Dickenson," Nick said weakly, "how are you?"

"Fine, fine! I see you're looking well-dressed today!"

Nick chuckled. "Yea," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, "no boxer's today, ma'am."

"I can _see_ that! No rush?"

"Nope. Just heading out for some errands."

"Well, that's nice. Aren't you working today?"

"Not today. I have two days off."

"How _lovely_! Well, if you ever have any time, I could use a strong young tod to help me with my refrigerator, if you don't mind."

"Not at all. What's the issue?"

"Oh, no issue at all. I just wanted to move it."

"Ah, okay. I'll be around later probably. Would that be okay?"

"Of course! You're so sweet! I'll have to give you some food as a payment."

"You don't have to do that!" Nick's mind projected a simple image: Mrs. Dickenson's Famous Grasshopper Casserole. She'd spoon fed him a sample in the past, and he almost threw up in her face. He nearly gagged before remembering he was in a conversation. "It'll take me all but a minute or so."

"Alright! See you later then, dear."

"Okay. Bye Mrs. Dickenson," Nick waved. Quickly turning away, Nick made his way through the hall and then entered the elevator. On the way down, he couldn't help but snicker at the thought of Mrs. Dickenson trying to make a move on him ever since seeing him in his boxers. Judy would have made such a joke immediately had she seen the interaction that just took place. He smiled at this fact. After the elevator doors opened, Nick trotted along and then exited the building.

Out on the streets, the monumental buildings crowding the apartment complex he exited from looked slightly bleak and hollow due to the surrounding chill and change in the weather. There was a definite liveliness to everything, a bustling and pulsing of electricity, but there was also a small sense of weakness, as if the structures themselves were not prepared for such a drastic change. Setting the white earbuds in either of his ears, Nick plugged into his iPhone and played "Piranha" by Way Yes for a bit of background music. He felt quite jubilant today, and was in no mood to hold back how outwardly giddy he actually was. His breath could be seen as he blew out a trail of vapor into the cold air, and his tail by instinct curled around the back of his legs as he jammed both paws in his pockets and trotted down 45th Street and Barkington Ave, an area of town that almost had a suburban feel to it, being lined with planted trees and a lush park several blocks away. He wanted to buy Judy a hot breakfast and her favorite cinnamon-carrot coffee at the nearby deli and bakery, Dino's Breads, a nice little eatery owned by an aging moose and his apprentice.

As Nick walked down the street, his thoughts were overwhelmed with opposing feelings; he looked around at same species couples holding hands—rats, cheetahs, wolves, cats—and a small pit of despair suddenly nuzzled itself deep in him, sending a near feeling of nausea in knots around his belly. But at the same time, there was also a sense of hope and rejoice in remembering the hyena, Bentley, and his girlfriend, Christine, the small and personable rabbit who mysteriously made a comment about Nick before the start of the concert. They had managed to make something taboo commonplace for themselves, and while it may have been somewhat secretive on their part, while they may have not had the pleasure of expressing their attraction toward one another on an open street, their happiness could not be denied—Nick had seen it up close. It was something he aspired to attain with Judy, something he wanted so badly that it almost hurt to think about it if he tried hard enough. But he couldn't stop, wouldn't stop. This was a new drive for him, an importance in his life bigger than any con he could have imagined: the conning of his doubts, the trickery of second guessing. All of his years of experience in manipulation could not prepare him for a battle such as this.

He swerved through an oncoming parade of business animals dressed to the hilt in fashionable suits and cubicle uniforms, and then he turned down the avenue to where his destined place of purchase stood.

The deli and bakery had been an outlet he and Judy stumbled upon during one of their breaks from work, and on a whim, feeling a sudden sense of adventure, Nick had suggested they eat there considering it might be a place a rabbit could dine at without worrying about an underlying fear of feral meats winding up in a mixed up order; that had been a realization the fox had come to know quite well after spending so much time with her—how to maneuver around the personality and tastes and fears of lagomorphs. And it had worked. She'd come to find that the place was one of her favorite eateries. They had parked alongside the ditsy building with its boastful cursive lettering reading "Dino's Breads" in a fashion that and old ice cream shoppe might have, and as soon as they set foot in the building, Judy's nose had twitched in that cute way that Nick knew expressed immediate interest. She had swiftly hopped (literally) over to the section of the deli that served cinnamon-carrot coffee, and like a small kit, her teardrop tail had started wagging. The entire scene had stayed imprinted in Nick's mind, and the smile on his face caused by the replaying of that memory remained on his face as his paw came in contact with the bakery door.

He pushed it open and stepped in to be bombarded with the smells of bread and mocha spices and morning doughnuts. He scanned the room and saw the owner standing behind a counter.

Dino stood as quite the mammal: a fiercely wide moose with dark chestnut brown fur and standing at an impressive 6 ½ feet tall, he was somewhat of a walking contradiction when juxtaposed with his more masculine traits, considering a small pair of spectacles rested between his large brown eyes even though his burly upper body suggested he'd been one not to mess with back in his younger years. His cylindrical, dangling snout was large and somewhat goofy looking, a patch of wrinkles developing above his black nose, and the fur from his chin trailed down like long spider webs which demonstrated his age through the grey discoloration forming at their tips. His antlers were protruding monoliths of bone orbiting around his head, reaching upward in the manner of two hands cupping the sky, and they complimented his fur color, although they seemed to be a slightly darker and more imposing brown. He always smelled of an interesting cologne. Something old and ancient. It matched his personality perfectly.

Hearing the chiming bell sound off from Nick entering, the moose looked up. "Officer Wilde," Dino said in his gruff voice, raspy and obstructed by years of smoking.

Nick waved to the moose and then flashed a grin. "Off duty," the fox said.

"Ah. I see. Out an about pretty early then."

"Sure am. Hungry this morning." Nick removed his aviators and hung them by the hinges on his shirt collar. "So, how's the biz, Dino?"

"Oh, can't complain." Dino was rummaging through morning orders, glancing very intensely at a clipboard as his apprentice shifted warm baggies with the shop's signature logo on the front from one end of the room to the other. As if caught by a sudden realization, Dino jutted his head up toward Nick with eyes wide as silver dollars. "Although, _now_ that you ask, those _damn_ bear kids, you know, the ones I told you about before, the ones that were loitering around this street, came in and asked for a free water."

Nick softly rolled his eyes, preparing himself for one of Dino's rants.

"It was that tall one and what looked like his brother," Dino continued. " _Free_ water? Can you believe it?! Don't they have _mothers_? I mean, it was a school day, for Christ's sake. I told 'em, 'I don't have time to play' and one of 'em said, 'We ain't playin' mister, we're thirsty. Give us some water.' Like, demanding it now! I couldn't believe my ears. So, I tell 'em, 'Kid, there's a damn drinking fountain in the mall right down the way, go there if you want free shit.' They kinda' scoffed at me and looked as though they were sizing me up, and then I had to get Isaac to escort them out. I about called you boys in blue down here before I knew they were gone. And _then_ , just the other day, they were back here again, up and down this street, givin' me mischievous looks. After thinking about it for a long time, I've deduced that drugs are behind this behavior. You might want to investigate." Dino's last statement was met with a wiggle of his large hooved finger.

Nick smiled, nodding good-naturedly, wishing Judy was here to see Dino's little display of old fashioned discrimination. "Well, I can tell you that I'll for sure be on the lookout for the kids skipping school and loitering, but I don't know how far we can take the drug theory, Dino."

"Mark my words: you'll bust those boys one day in an exchange. Mark my words."

"Duly marked, sir." Nick said while pointing a claw at Dino. Nick turned his attention to the menu.

"So…how's that partner of yours? Hopps."

Nick's ears perked up. A cacophony of different answers wanted to push themselves from his maw: smells amazing, stop-you-in-your-tracks-sexy, the perfect ass, well-exercised and highly-fuckable, flawless in every way. Instead, Nick's logic settled for the better of the long list of choices popping up. "She's good," Nick said, scratching his chin. "Been working pretty hard on a string of murders that's popped its nasty head in our corners of Zootopia."

"Oh." Dino replied softly. "You know, it probably has something to do with those—"

"Aw, c'mon, Dino," Nick interrupted, "They're just _kids_ yankin' your chain."

"Loitering among an establishment and making threatening signals is a little more than 'yankin', Mr. Wilde."

"Okay, okay. Like I said, I'll make sure we're are on it. Rest assured, your place will be watched more closely."

"That's the spirit!"

Nick, shaking his head with a smile, continued mulling over what he wanted. After making up his mind, he quickly made his order and left without engaging in too much more conversation. Small talk was great, but he had much more important matters to deal with.

He had a rabbit to tend to.

A knock came at Judy's door.

As her head swiveled toward the sound, her ears perked straight up in a state of excitement, and she rushed over to greet her visitor but stopped herself in an attempt to calm down the second her hand came in contact with the knob.

Moments before, she had been surfing the web, researching the perks and difficulties different-species couples go through via an anonymous message board; some of the stories were fantastically uplifting while others were pitifully depressing and made her wish she could console the writer to see if in fact he or she had been telling the truth. She couldn't quite understand why she didn't want to seem overly excited to see Nick right at this split second, but a portion of her brain told her it would be best to not look as desperate as she had just seconds ago. So, she listened to her inner voice and took a deep breath before turning the knob to see a shady looking fox in aviators holding a bag to his side and clasping with his other paw a cardboard holder supporting two steaming cups of coffee.

She could smell that he had gotten her favorite kind of cinnamon-carrot blend.

Her eyes scanned him up and down: his smirk was addicting, and the getup he wore, a red shirt with a wonderfully contrasting black tie and black form-fitting jacket, made him look incredibly suave and handsome to Judy, so much so that she suddenly bit her lip in a quivery, melting sensation of attraction that was no doubt a dead giveaway he'd just gotten the better of her with nothing more than a greeting at the door. _Damn him and his suaveness_ , her competitive side exclaimed as she continued ogling him. She didn't think he could possibly look better, but as always, he surprised her. He looked like some kind of secret spy to her, or an agent who was going to take her in the back room for a frisking and perhaps something more.

Taking her cue and seeing how affected she was, Nick couldn't help himself. "Special delivery," he oozed out sexily.

Judy put her paw on the other side of the door, blocking him momentarily. One of her ears flopped slightly down in an expression of playfulness. "Are you talking about the food, coffee, or _you_?"

Nick pursed his lips in mock-thought. "All?" he asked with a sudden smile revealing his sharp teeth.

Again, his handsome features melted Judy's insides.

She giggled and moved aside.

"C'mon in, silly fox."

"Thanks, goofy rabbit." Nick was thankful the heat had been cranked up in Judy's apartment, and he was even more thankful to see she was wearing a loose-fitting grey shirt revealing the black straps of her athletic bra hugging her shoulders, and as her bare feet paw claws lightly tapped against the wood in the foyer, Nick couldn't help but look at her defined legs and then her well-rounded behind covered by casual pink shorts that hiked up fairly high to her thighs, something she may have worn to work out or exercise in, but it looked as though she was simply lounging about or even intentionally teasing him. Either way, he didn't seem to mind. She looked sexy to him beyond an attraction once felt only a day ago, and this newfound lust for her, stronger than any toxin or drug known to him, made him nearly squirm at realizing he was only feet away from prey he would dominate in the best of ways and who would more than likely welcome every second of it.

Attempting to deter himself from being too blunt, he forced his eyesight elsewhere all while noticing that it felt exceptionally cozy in the apartment; the lights illuminated a couch with pillows and a used blanket, there was a minty freshener scent coming from the living room, and Nick's eyes caught that her iPad was set on the dinner table next to a book she perhaps had been reading this morning. As she led Nick into the kitchen, she would quickly glance back and eye him in a playful way, but his aviators blocked the fact that he was back to ogling her, an advantage he wasn't quite ready to give up yet as he had not had his fill of her figure.

"It's like a little picture in a house magazine here, Carrots," Nick said.

Judy snickered.

"Yea," she said. "I was going for the 'Lonely Metropolitan Bunny' look."

"I can see that. Luckily, I'm here so you don't have to be so lonely…"

"You're right."

Setting the bag and coffees atop her kitchen island, Nick turned around to find Judy standing inches away from him with a sexy smile spread on her face.

"Yello'," Nick said, the word coming out almost like a question.

Without entertaining him with any verbal response, Judy grabbed ahold of his tie with her paw and gently brought him down to her lips. Their muzzles pressed against each other, Nick's black-lined lips falling atop Judy's soft kiss, which was very tender and long, and the fox refrained from turning it into something more intimate as he was unsure if Judy would want him to be as bold as he was last night this early in the morning, but he took a chance and let each of his paws slide down and rest upon her behind, a place he was getting used to feeling. She was firm and well-exercised. He couldn't help himself and gave each cheek a light squeeze. Her reply had been the tiniest of moans around his mouth, a noise that almost edged Nick into once again pressing her against a hard surface so that he may grind against her, and this familiar place they found themselves at was just the thing either of them wanted ever since they awoke, a fact they both were ecstatic to realize about each other. She tasted of freshness to Nick, of something minty and clean, and he could only predict she felt the same since he spent the morning rigorously cleaning himself. Their lips came apart, a smooching sound smacking out loud in the quiet of the room, and Nick could see the flush building underneath Judy's fur, an obvious clue as to how pent-up she may have been. Did she relieve herself since yesterday, Nick wondered, or had she been so wrapped up in her mind that she hadn't thought to? How easy it would be to take her over to her couch, pull her panties down with his sharp teeth, maybe rip them off even, and then fill that void for her with nothing more than his long and rough canine tongue—this thought crossed his mind and infiltrated his rational thoughts with recklessness, but he was smarter than that, sharper having experienced a good night's rest and allowed Judy to be the one to guide this day rather than his dick.

That could wait for later when she truly wanted him.

"I thought about doing that ever since I woke up," Nick admitted.

"Me too," Judy said while rubbing the side of her arm with her paw.

"Is this something we'll eventually get used to?"

"I hope so…"

"Is it…" Nick removed his aviators and then set them in his jacket which he put on one of the kitchen stools. His defined body rippled underneath his shirt and Judy ate him up with her eyes. "It's not awkward right now, right?"

"I don't think so. At least not until you just asked."

Nick chuckled. He then knelt down and gave Judy another long kiss. He could feel her paws clutch at the front of his shirt, holding him against her. After breaking apart, he gave Judy a cocky smirk. "I would say that's a verifiable 'no'," he said.

"I think you're right," Judy smiled.

"So, want something to eat?"

"Yes!" Judy slightly hopped at Nick's question, another trait he discovered about her when she was excited. His adoration for her must have shown on his face because she looked slightly embarrassed at doing the sudden motion unintentionally.

"You know, you're _very_ sexy, dare I say _cute_ , when you're embarrassed. I'm not sure if you realize that."

"Shut up!" Judy said with a playful laugh, pushing her paw against his arm. It hadn't even bothered her that he had used the word "cute," a clear demonstration of how smitten she was, and on top of that, she now showed not an ounce of restraint from touching him, akin to how she would become bold every time in the past when they went out for drinks and she ended up buzzed while coddling against him, and her coyness at the moment came off as something more intimate than it had before their encounter last night.

It turned Nick on horribly, but at the same time, it gave him a remarkable sense of relief that the inner doubts that had been nibbling at his brain were nothing more than an apparition. "Well, c'mon over, Hopalong," Nick said, grabbing Judy by her hips. He hoisted her up like he did last night in the pickup, and she let out a slight holler of excited shock before he set her down on one of her kitchen island stools.

"You just trying to show off those muscles?" Judy prodded, squeezing at his bicep.

"Yep…and feel you up. You caught me, detective. Besides, you know you like it."

"What did you get?" Judy was eying the bag from Dino's Breads.

"Some goodies," Nick said as he brought out Judy a vegetarian breakfast muffin. "Fuel for little rabbit hearts."

" _Oh_! Thank you!" Judy's nose twitched as she sniffed the muffin and then took a bite, her tail jiggling from side to side in a quick motion of approval.

Nick unwrapped his own meal and then bit into his egg and cheese breakfast bagel while sitting next to Judy on the opposite stool.

They simply ate in silence for a moment before glancing at each other.

"Dino sends his regards, by the way," Nick said with the meagerest of smirks.

Judy smiled, putting her paw over her mouth as she spoke and chewed. "Aw, that's sweet. What's that old guy up to?"

"Ha! Besides complaining about those quote-unquote 'damn bear kids'? Nothing much else."

Judy giggled. "He sure does direct a lot of energy at bears, doesn't he?" she asked.

"Oh, you know it. He says we should investigate because drugs may be a factor." Judy let out a laugh and Nick joined. "I'll talk to Bogo Monday. I'm sure he'll be thrilled to take us off the Apex Omnivore case."

Nodding, Nick chuckled and went back to eating.

For another lapse of time, they sat in silence, and Judy noticed that Nick's leg was pumping up and down in a fashion that one would do out of nervousness.

She also noticed his sudden shiftiness in persona and it didn't take her long to figure out that something was amiss.

They made eye contact and it was as if Nick was suddenly caught off guard.

"So…" Nick started, "what, uh…have you heard anything new about the Apex Omnivore leads?"

Judy stopped chewing and tilted her head. She didn't like this. This was not the Nick Wilde she knew. She didn't like seeing him act in a way that didn't align with his actual personality. At that point, she knew exactly what was wrong.

Seeing her reaction, Nick's ears perked up.

"What?" he asked with slight defensiveness.

She rolled her eyes and set the muffin down on the countertop, leaning in again to Nick and more forcefully grabbing his tie, bringing him into another kiss. It took him a second to get adjusted to her muzzle, but when he did it was wonderful. She didn't even seem to mind that his breath was now laced with food a species of hers wound not have dreamed of eating; in fact, a primordial rush of adrenaline shot through her system at realizing she was coming into contact with two different types of species negativities her body, had it been "normal", would automatically repel: a vulpine and an omnivore's fried egg.

How shocked her ancestors would have been could only be imagined by her, but she knew deep down this taboo was a massive turn-on for her. In fact, had she not been withheld by the tiniest bit of self-control in her system, Nick's pants would already be down to his ankles and she'd be bent over the very stool she sat on, panting and writhing like the animal she was deep down, clamping on one of her own ears between her teeth as to muffle the moans.

Nick seemed to catch onto how her body spoke to him, and the message became even louder when he could feel her chest, though quite flat, lean into him as her back arched in an unintentional motion of ecstasy, and for the slightest of seconds, as his hand with a mind of its own found itself pressed against one of her small breasts, he thought of how fun it would be to roleplay with her in different ways: perhaps like a predator truly hunting its prey—he could drape her in food she'd never eat, maybe drape himself in it, and she lick up his body and— _Stop, stop!_ His mind cut in.

After parting their lips, they looked at each other for a moment with heavy breaths.

Nick removed his hand from her chest to which she looked at with what could have been the tiniest expression of disappointment.

After regaining herself, she looked at Nick like a mother scolding her child. "Don't you _dare_ get all awkward with me, Mr. Wilde. We have today and tomorrow off. The case can wait."

Nick smiled. "Wow. Usually you're very work-oriented, Carrots. I just thought you'd might want to discuss it is all."

"No, you didn't. You're shifty and surprisingly nervous. That's not at all like you. Where's the Nick that I know so well? Besides, I just care about one thing and one thing alone right now."

"What?"

"Us."

"Us," Nick nodded. "Hm. I like it." He scratched at the scruff around his neck before continuing with, "I'm sorry. I just can't help myself. I guess I still kind of, slightly, a little, somewhat, a tad bit feel strange."

"Why?" Judy's paw traced along the front of his thigh in a not-so-sexual manner. Her ears and back were standing straight up in concentration and curiosity.

Was there slight fear there as well? Nick believed he sensed this too.

"Because you're so beautiful, and I've only always had to hide that I feel that way about you. And now that it's in the open…" Nick hesitated, trying to find the correct phrasing. "I don't know…I guess I'm still getting used to expressing it without withholding anything."

A flush had spread over Judy's face, perhaps at how complimentary Nick's last statement had been, and her purple eyes, half-lidded, revealed a coy yet vulnerable expression that nearly sent Nick over the edge. Rather than press forward with her queries, she instead set her food down, grabbed his paw and gently yanked on it as she hopped down from her stool. Peering over her own shoulder, she guided Nick over to the couch and they both sat upon it. Thinking they were going to talk or cuddle, Nick was surprised to find that the rabbit pushed him against the back of the couch and straddled over his lap like she had done so last night in the pickup. Again, her domineering side seemed to reveal itself and she took the lead by planting her lips over his, smooching him loudly and passionately in a writhe of newfound pleasure she did not know she was capable of feeling—even in the past, her boyfriends, dust in her memory bank and not even close in comparison to the masculinity she felt below her, could not ever bring her to the level of primal want like she was experiencing at this very moment. The effect she had around Nick was druglike in its potency, and she could feel his responsiveness start below her as it swelled inside of his jeans and pressed against her bare thighs; she was curious and ground down harder on him, eliciting a moan to escape from his lips as his paw latched all the way around the bicep of one of her arms and his other paw found itself pressed against the back of her head, urging her to continue further. Her paw ran along his shirt, feeling the abs beneath the clothing, and his own paws explored her features once again.

What continued was a battle for ground and progression, not only against one another but also with themselves, and Nick proved to be the victor by letting his canine state of mind take over his actions, and before he knew it, he had flipped the metaphorical game board over and Judy's back was pressed down against the couch, his body hovering over hers like a wanton creature, and he was now licking her neck and shoulder in a ferocious encirclement of passion. He very boldly let one of his paws slide up and move one of her athletic bra straps out of the way so that his tongue could have complete access to the small portion of her body he was currently pinpointed on, and her approval sung out from her own tiny paws which clutched at the front of his shirt and tie. Her erratic breathing, slightly high pitched and soft, only projected Nick further into his state of nearly non-withheld lust, and in an attempt at meeting himself at his deepest level of animalistic traits, he lightly pressed his teeth against her neck.

Her moan was so loud that Nick thought she may have suddenly cum.

He backed away for a second and looked into a face of pure pleasure.

She floated out of her reverie and found herself face to face with a grinning vulpine.

"Where'd that start?" Nick suddenly asked.

Judy's bashfulness was caught in her throat as she let out slightly perplexed, "What do you mean?"

Nick planted a kiss along the side of her neck before looking into her face. "I mean when did you start liking the idea of being _dominated_ , little missy?"

Judy lightly giggled. She partly pulled back from Nick only to plant another kiss on his muzzle that wasn't far from being a lick of her tongue. "Says who…" she coyly hesitated.

Nick shot her a cocky grin. He squeezed his paws against her side, letting his claws only slightly graze her and making her arch her back and sharply breathe out. "Says your body," Nick whispered.

"I don't know," she nearly moaned, "I just…"

"You just like the idea of a big, bad predator _hovering_ over you?"

"Mmm…" Judy bit her lip and nodded.

"And panting?"

Judy squirmed. "And hot breath all over me…" she nearly whispered. "And drool."

 _Shit_ , Nick thought, feeling a shiver run up his spine at how hot her talk was. He wondered for a second if she was a dirty talker while having sex. He felt her legs wrap around his thighs and lock him against her. He ground down and she wiggled her hips back and forth, rubbing his erection underneath his pants with her miniscule thighs. She wasn't giggling nor was she smiling; it was pure want and heat that radiated from her face. At seeing this, he was so hard right now that it was painful, and he closed his eyes and nearly snarled as his teeth clamped down like a rabid dog. " _Naughty_ bunny," Nick oozed out sexily. He leaned down and then went back into a heated make-out session. Never in his life did he want to fuck more than now, and while no vixen could ever bring him to the state he was currently in—a near mess of ragged breaths, a wafting animal on the verge of uncontrollable lust —he was surprised he hadn't pushed forward to initiate their first sexual encounter with each other to begin. She seemed to be on board, but there was something lingering. It was a restraint partly based on how connected he felt with her and partly based on fear of rejection if the moment didn't quite fit with the receiving end.

Nick pulled away from their entwining tongues and looked into her eyes. His honesty came bursting from him without a filter. "Do you know how difficult it is for me right now to stop myself from ripping every stitch of your clothing off and just ravaging you right here on this couch?"

Judy breathed against Nick's muzzle, resting both of her paws against the back scruff of his neck. For the slightest of seconds, he could feel her shiver and nearly give in. "You do realize you're talking to a rabbit, right? It's just as difficult for me."

"Then why are we holding back?"

"I…" Judy stopped to contemplate for a moment. "It's very quick. All of this is so quick."

Nick nodded. "It is," he agreed. "Now that you mention it, it really is…"

"Just a day ago, we were close partners and best friends."

"We still are. Just…closer."

Judy smiled. "True. But it's all been bottled up, too, hasn't it?" she queried.

"Yes, it has. Which is why I think this is happening."

"So…" Judy placed her words carefully, drawing out each syllable. "I guess…I guess we…" She stopped, not quite far from looking frustrated at expressing how she felt.

"Carrots," Nick tapped a claw against her nose, "you don't have to feel rushed because of me."

Judy's ears were perked up in complete concentration of what he said.

"I want you to move at your own pace. We don't have to put any labels on anything right now. I'm happy with what's happening, and we can keep it this way until you feel ready to…well…move further."

Judy's slight blush was her only rebuttal until she found her voice again. "Okay. But it'll be a challenge I think," she nearly whispered.

"How so?" Nick could feel her thighs softly squeezing against him. He laughed against her neck and then his ears perked up.

"Hey," he started, "I thought a day ago you claimed I was _labeling_ rabbits as sex fiends."

"I was talking about how _promiscuous_ we can be, not that we're incredibly horny." Judy's eyes seemed to bug out at realizing what she'd just said, and she clasped her paw over her mouth in astonishment. She clearly meant for that sentence to be an inner form of dialogue rather than an outward projection.

Nick's face held a look as though he'd found Pandora's Box. "Ooh, so there _was_ some truth to that!" Nick said excitedly.

Her smile bordered embarrassment.

"How true, Cottontail?" he pried. "Tell me."

"I don't know," she said bashfully.

" _Yes_ _,_ you _do_! _C'mon_ , tell me. I'll keep it a secret."

Judy hummed out and her face softened. "Pretty true," she admitted.

"Ha!" Nick lightly laughed out. "I _knew_ it."

"But it's _not_ like what you think."

"Hey, hey. Don't go backpedaling now. Your secret's safe with me."

"'Kay," she giggled.

"So, how often do you…well…you know… _take care_ of it?"

She lightly slapped his shoulder. " _None_ of your business!"

"Really? Why not?"

"That's _private_!"

Nick shot her a confused look and then glanced down at their bodies. "I mean, we're kind of dry-humping each other right now. I can't imagine it would be too far from left-field for you to be telling me this," he said matter-of-factly.

Judy's eyes seemed to look left and right.

 _Damn him and his logic_ , her inner thoughts snapped.

"Touché," she finally said.

"So, tell me."

"I…I don't know. Whenever I feel like I have to."

"And how often is that?"

Judy hesitated, but Nick's devilishly handsome grin hypnotized her into answering. "A…" she started, trailing off. "A couple times, I guess."

"A week?"

As to dodge the question, Judy looked to the side.

"Oh." Nick's ears perked straight up and then pinned back down as he sneered a massive canine smile. "Ohhh…you _filthy_ little rabbit."

"Shut up!" she slapped his chest. "I didn't _say any_ thing!"

"Exactly! And that's all I need to hear!"

"Oh, shut it!"

"Not a chance, you little horn-dog!"

"Quiet!" she nearly giggled.

"Sorry, I meant horn-rabbit!" Nick laughed and grabbed ahold of either of her arms, holding her down. He pushed his muzzle into her neck and started licking at it, causing her to laugh.

Her fight was for naught as Nick's strength easily held her into place, but a merciful side of him caused his paws to slightly unlatch, giving her the playful advantage which was immediately taken and provided her with enough physical room to scuttle up to Nick's side, push him over on his back, and leave him beneath her as she straddled his waist. Rather than fighting, Nick put both of his paws behind his head and leaned back, admiring the view of this voracious rabbit riding him. Her paws, delicate and soft, grazed their light grey claws against his chest as if wanting to rip through the fabric and run along his toned stomach; this type of attention she was expressing toward Nick caused a low grumble to form deep down in his throat, and he nearly found himself growling at her with an affectionate noise that only a canine could elicit in a moment of tumultuous sexual display.

She seemed to notice his little game of reverse psychology at seeing how he had let her win their mock-battle, but she didn't seem to mind in the least because the idea of getting the better of a predator and taming him sent an erotic chill down her body. In a sense, this playful dance gave her an idea of what it would be like to actually be with a predator—and a canine of all species. It was in his genes to want to wrestle around, to apply dominance and submissiveness to a situation as dictated through eons of evolution and biologically tangled genetic traits. He would have been doing the same thing if it'd been a vixen above him, but there wasn't. And Judy loved that fact. She loved that she, a species denounced by society as the weakling, was on top of this big creature, controlling his sexual drive. She found it fascinating to think that she was toying with something that naturally did not fit into the componentry of her being; it was exhilarating and broke her breath. She wanted more, wanted to eat it up greedily.

And she did with another kiss.

The scariest part of what was happening was the revelation that tripped into her thoughts that at this moment in time she cared not for creating silence from nothing like she'd taught herself so long ago. In fact, she wanted _noise. Hot, rocking, loud_ _ **noise**_. If not his moaning and the thumping of the couch they lay upon, then conversation would have to do.

Their lips came apart and they sat looking at each other for a period of time, taking in each other's features with their newfound eyes.

Nick tugged her from her mind with one of his paws by resting it against her arm which he began to softly rub. His facial expression held a look of deep contemplation, and Judy could see the sudden shift in his attitude. Her ears, having been amassed straight in the air, were now slightly dangling in curiosity.

"Wha'cha thinking?" she asked.

"Just…" Nick hesitated.

"What?"

"Just how foolish I had been to think this couldn't ever happen."

Judy's smile broadened. Her own paws rested against his pecs.

"I'd say we were both were pretty foolish," she stated.

"Really?" Nick inquired. "How were _you_?"

Judy thought about this for a moment and confessed in a rather sheepish tone. "Because I hadn't snuck you into one of the back rooms at your last birthday and made out with you like I wanted to."

Nick's ears perked up, and Judy could feel his tail dancing back and forth, brushing against her legs.

" _Ohh_ …confessions of a lonely bunny," Nick chuckled.

Judy lightly slapped one of his pecs.

"Quiet, stupid fox!"

"I have to admit, I probably would have taken that over the watch."

Judy giggled. "I bet you would have!" she exclaimed.

Nick thought about this for a moment before piping up. "Did you really think about doing that at the party?" he asked, his piqued interest intensifying.

Judy's nod was accommodated by a slight sheen of pink to her cheeks. "I did…I was so close to actually doing it, that I kind of… _recoiled_ after chickening out."

Nick nodded at remembering how she suddenly became reserved during a portion of the night. He had thought he'd said something too base or made too crude of a joke toward her, and after a brief conversation and verification that he was not the source of her sudden downtrodden attitude, things had gone back to normal. It had been one of those moments that resonated with the fox at realizing at the time how much her feelings actually mattered to him. "I was _wondering_ what happened. That makes sense now."

"Yea," Judy said somewhat embarrassed. "I'm sorry, but—"

"Sorry? Why? Don't be. I'm sure I've had my moments like that during our friendship. In fact, I'm positive." Nick's smile slowly weakened as he kept rubbing against her arm. The sudden silence made itself imposing until it was broken by Nick suddenly blurting something out. "What'll happen Monday?"

Judy looked distantly passed him, realizing what he actually meant by that. The thought had occurred to her as well. In fact, it was one that was prominent in her mind. One that ate at her this morning and the previous night. Her own frustration was apparent in her voice as she responded. "I don't know," she finally said. "I guess…I guess we just go back to work and…"

"And pretend nothing happened." The tone of Nick's voice had been venomous and bitter.

This caught Judy off guard, and her ears nearly twitched at hearing it. She looked down at Nick to see that his face, like hers, was somewhat distraught.

She was sick to say it, but what spat from her mouth was the horrid agreement. "Yea…"

Nick nodded. "Thought so…"

"What else can we do?"

"Nothing." Nick sat thinking, concocting ideas, but even with his cleaver wit and ability to snake his way through any situation, he found himself repeating a dreaded truth. "Nothing…we'll just…adapt." He felt her lay her head against his chest and her ears droop against his shoulder.

It felt like a slight defeat, this verbal verification that the metropolis standing for diversity and new thinking would be the penultimate entity standing in the way of their full-blossoming of affection on a public scale. The irony was boggling.

Tracing his paw up her side, he began to rub her neck and cheek. Feeling her tiny breaths beat against him was as close to sanctuary he has ever come to know, and it broke his insides to imagine having to act as though nothing was going on between the two of them when such a massive barrier had finally been broken; it was the equivalent of working the longest shift, aligning the most complex of clues, and capturing the most elusive of criminals only to find that he would have to be released because of inner-working political complications.

Nick's entire life was built around making an image of himself, presenting his characteristics and mannerisms in a way that other animals would find welcoming and trustworthy; however, his current situation with Judy was not worthy of conning or personas. He wanted to be entirely genuine with her, and the idea of faking emotions around others for their own comfortability made him feel slight resentment at the very place he has come to know as a home. But as he thought about this, the more he mused over the possibilities, a sudden recollection of a certain rabbit and hyena popped into his head, floated into view as a reminder of something far greater: contentment. The blissful looks on their faces, the flashing lights blinding out everything else other than their hands clasped together, the closeness of their bodies like Nick was experiencing with his partner at this very moment, all of these memories rushed in and verified something the fox had reminded Judy to nauseating extremes. "Never let them get to you" had never applied so much more than now. It was stupid to think of this now because it had been so clear before. He hadn't even realized a chuckle had escaped his muzzle until Judy's comment entered his ears.

"What're you laughing at?" she asked, sounding slightly woozy as if her body had been mulling over falling asleep on Nick.

"I just thought of something."

"What?"

Nick clicked his tongue. "You remember the two from yesterday? Bentley and Christina?"

"Of course, I do." Judy placed both paws against Nick's chest and rested her chin on them while looking up at Nick's face. "She gave me her number, actually."

"Really?"

"Yea."

"Like…" Nick's brows lowered. "…like to hook up for 'lesbianic' action?"

Judy giggled. "You pervert."

"You love it."

"Do I?"

"I already know the answer to that."

"No, seriously, she said next time we were around, to give her a call. I want to take her up on her offer if we're ever in the Jungle District. She was super-nice!"

Nick recalled his conversation with Bentley and how personable Christina had been. "Yea, they were," he concurred. "That would be pretty cool actually…to hang with them. Someone outside the force."

"Yea, it would. But…what were you saying? What about them made you laugh?"

Nick flashed a toothy grin. "Well…check this out: before we left the concert, I noticed that as the band was playing, Christina and Bentley were holding hands. And not, like, in a friendly fashion, if you catch my drift. I could've sworn they were…"

Smiling, Judy nodded. "I know," she said matter-of-factly. "They're mates…like really serious ones."

Nick cocked an eyebrow at Judy. "How'd you know?" he queried.

"Because she told me," Judy giggled. "We got really gossipy when we left you and Bentley. I mean, we were both a tad bit buzzed and she asked about you and if you were dating me. I said we weren't officially a couple, but I thought that the interest was there. Then she just kind of came right out with it and said she and Bentley were."

"Huh…so…did she say how it happened?"

"Yea. She said that the attraction just sort of happened the more they worked with each other at their tour guide business. One day, they just sort of expressed it."

Nick smiled. "Like us."

"Like us," Judy said with a grin.

"And…" Nick trailed off for a moment, putting a claw up to his muzzle, "How does every day…work?"

"Well…she said they hide it the best they can, but the moments when they don't make it all the better."

"Hmm…sounds nice." He felt Judy tighten herself against his chest.

"I know," she said in a low whisper before setting her head back on his chest.

Laying there, both animals let the moment linger, clasping each other in a warm embrace. What lay with them was something they had not experienced, or if they had, it had been manufactured, not genuine, a façade to fill the moment. But this was real. It was now too real. It was a feeling either had difficulty pinpointing… something colossal that was caught in the middle of infatuation and three terrifying words. So, neither of them spoke for fear of saying those words.

To say those words would be to embrace mystery. To say those words would be to give in.

And they weren't sure they were ready to do that.

At least, not yet.

On 31st and Opus Street, behind the Feral Meat Packing District, a large and often empty building that had long ago been deemed uninhabitable sat like a punished child, mopey and broken and seemingly forgotten by all other citizens of Zootopia. Well… _almost_ all other citizens. Most who were familiar with this section of town knew it to be a highly intensive criminalized area, a cesspool where the underbelly scourge of criminals would congregate and deal and rape and kill.

No one wanted to be near it; it was a place of nightmares which even the Zootopia Police Department had reservations for entering it, and those who did manage to step foot in this jurisdiction were the hardboiled death-wish officers, the ones who would go out in a blaze of glory. Near a concrete slab reserved for trucks to transport goods into the large rusty garage doors, two canines, a dingo and a wolf, idly stood in place, kicking gravel side to side as they awaited instruction from their superior. The call had been very spontaneous and quick. A simple "get 'yer ass over here, now" rather than the usual time and place. It was unusual, yes, but not out of the ordinary considering the recent circumstances.

One of them, the dingo, stood tall and had a yellowish coat of fur packed beneath a dark leather jacket; his muzzle looked slightly mangled, as if he had been in a bad bar fight that resulted in a massive scar embodying the side of his muzzle all the way down to his neck. He reeked of cigarettes and dirt. His partner, not anywhere near better looking or better smelling, had raggedy grey fur that held the appearance one might associate with a drunkard or a vagrant. His unusually long nose jutted out like an anteater, and his eyes seemed to be scanning around with slightly more concern than his counterpart.

A car horn honking in the distance made the wolf jump before he stuffed his paws in his pockets. "Gotta' get here soon, you'd think," he said.

"Yep…" the dingo seemed to be disinterested. From his pocket, he brought out a cigarette which he offered to the wolf.

"Naw, man, that shit gets me jittery."

"More than now?" the dingo asked with a cigarette now hanging from his smiling maw. He rose his eyebrows as if to make his point.

"Yea, yea. Whatever, man. I just don't like it when we're given a call without any idea what the fuck's going on."

"Shit, man, we _know_ what's going on. Isn't it _obvious_?" The dingo's brows lowered. He almost looked pissed.

" _No_ …no it isn't man. What you got? Spill it!"

"Oh, you don't know?"

" _No_! That's why I don't _like_ this shit."

The dingo took a long drag of his cigarette before billowing it out in a miniature mushroom cloud. He looked at his partner and cocked the ridge of his brow up in a gossipy state. "Timothy's in the shit." The dingo said.

"Say what?"

"Fuzz got 'im," the dingo replied nonchalantly.

The wolf was silent for a moment. It looked like he had been literally hit by the information. "What!? Like, _detained_?"

"Try, like, _dead_." The dingo let the last part sink in. His partner's ears stood up in an aware, nearly fearful state.

"How?"

The dingo shook his head. "Not quite sure. I heard it had something to do with the Apex Predator serial killer. Wrong place, wrong time. Tortured, stabbed, bound, and stuffed into a trunk. It's all a mess. No one seems to know."

"He…" the wolf's eyes scanned around before continuing. "He seemed to be overdue for that though, huh?"

"Too little, too late." The dingo nodded, flashing slightly yellow-tinted fangs to match his coat toward his comrade.

"Good." The wolf was nodding now, comfortable that no one was around.

"Fuck-stick was a stupid perv. Got what was comin' to 'im. He's dead: _so what_?"

"My thoughts exactly. But…" The gray wolf's ears erected upward.

"But what?" The dingo shook his head before peering over to the wolf. He let the moment drag on for a couple more seconds before reciting the news. "They say Red and the Hare are behind this…behind finding him at least. Thereby, making them _on —the—case_."

The wolf, looking distant, slowly began to nod. "Shit. Figures…they got anything, you think?"

"Just a place and a time. And a dead sicko bat."

"Fuck…" the wolf shook his head. "That's just enough."

"I know."

"That why…" the wolf trailed off, his eyes squinted into crescent moons, "is that why he's—"

The dingo, as if reading the thoughts of his partner, nodded, and then interrupted with, "Yea. That's _exactly_ why he's coming over. No routine today, bro. This is different. That was his nephew, sicko or not. Shit's 'gonna hit the fan, man."

"Hasn't it already?"

The dingo snuffed out a breath. "Not even by a longshot." The sound of an approaching vehicle echoed across the melancholy buildings. "Shit…" the dingo tossed his cigarette to the ground, "he's comin'. Look _alive_."

Both animals, in a complete state of routine, stiffened themselves up and held a stagnant look on either of their muzzles. The large black Suburban with tinted windows pulled up to the building, the sound of gravel grumbling between the tires as it came to a slow halt, and from the vehicle burst an array of wolves dressed to the hilt in dark clothes. They all wore shades and seemed to be statuesque in their movements—robots programmed to fulfill one job and one job alone. In a predetermined pattern, they scattered about with protective stances, and from the back seat of the car came a tall figure dressed in a Michael Strahan Striped Navy Suit Jacket. He stepped from the door, two black leather shoes shined spotless and seeming to appear very out of place when set next to the gravel they stood on, and his bat wings were curled up behind him so that he had enough space to exit the vehicle. His face was that of a typical vampire bat —a star-like nose taking up nearly half of his face, two piercingly black eyes devoid of any kind of life behind the dark matter that filled them, shapely ears that were overly sensitive and massive and light pink on the insides. He seemed to be completely business oriented, not an ounce of emotion shown on his triangular mouth which undeniably hid a pair of long, deadly fangs.

Straightening his suit with the small claws on his wings, he stepped forward toward the building. He came upon the dingo and the wolf, stopping and slowly turning toward them. He studied them for a moment before opening his mouth. "Which one of you is Nathaniel?" his voice was smooth like silk yet authoritative.

"Me," the dingo nodded with his head.

"Good. You'll translate. And you," the bat jerked his heard toward the wolf, "Frank, I assume?"

"Yes sir."

"Fantastic. If anything happens, you shoot." The bat brought from his jacket a 9-millimeter Beretta and handed it to the wolf.

Without thinking, the wolf cocked backed the gun and shoved it in his coat pocket, seemingly different in personality as he was before. He gave the bat a quick nod of his head.

All three turned and walked up the concrete slab into building, which now seemed not as mopey because of the company.

She was asking for it.

There was no doubt at this point.

The truth, whether or not it was intended to, leaked through her signals.

The massaging happening for the last fifteen minutes was the proof driving him absolutely bonkers. There was no other reason for what she was doing other than displaying a clear want of his body, and she was even doing this despite her previous mixed emotions. Not only that: it was _so_ damn _sensual_ , too. So minutely erotic in an innocent yet provocative way.

Nick closed his eyes and swallowed the saliva that was building up in his maw, trying with all is competence to not begin panting. If that started, it wouldn't be too long before he couldn't control himself.

At the moment, he was slightly turned so that he was laying on his back while Judy was snuggled against the left side of him, both of her paws atop his chest and her body resting against the cushions of the couch. For the past hour and a half, they had been watching some episodes of _It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia_ and were dying of laughter at the animal cast before reaching a point of calm; it had been an added bonus for Nick to learn many small-scale details about Judy that they hadn't talked about before, such as her adoration of raunchy comedies. He found the prospect partially sexy that she could laugh at obscene scenes, and the comedy had been a potent aphrodisiac for the two, both of them clutching at one another during the show, which ultimately led to what Nick was feeling now.

Her leg was the culprit giving him all of his current troubles: it was still draped over the front of him and her feet paws would occasionally find their way against his crotch, rubbing up and down in a near voluptuous manner, and while this very well may have been an accident—an innocent motion unintentionally acted upon due to blind comfortability—Nick began drawing the conclusion that she was flat out teasing him. Before reaching this point, though, it had started out with a simple rubbing of her hands against his chest, a motion of exploration he hadn't thought too much of until she began kissing him again. The kissing then turned into another sloppy make-out session which almost left her with her shirt completely removed. Clearly, the attraction between the two was fierce, overtly powerful in a way that perhaps even transcended their previous agreement to take this blooming relationship at a slow pace. It hadn't been long until their tying of tongues subsided, and everything seemed to cool off…that is, until she once again began rubbing against him like she was now.

But what had been his chest before was now something else entirely, and what had started out with her hands was now a set of long, dainty rabbit feet. And he was slowly feeling himself give way. A stirring canine rod began swelling beneath his sheath. He tried not to read into the subtleties too deeply, but it had gotten to the point to where he thought she might be dropping a hint that while there was hesitation to dive into the act of sex itself, she'd be more than willing to experiment in other ways that didn't involve her being stretched beyond what she was used to. Perhaps something dirty, kinky even. Her feet paws? Nick thought about this for a second. After all, she'd been using those quite a bit, and Nick even remembered the first time they were making out when one of them had found its way against the very same spot being explored now. Was that her secret fetish? A sexual desire unconsciously surfacing? The thought of doing something like that hadn't really ever entered Nick's mind before, but if it was something _she_ was into, he would definitely give it a whirl. Hell, at this point, he'd engage in _any_ deviant fantasy of hers.

In realizing this very well could be a reality, Nick suddenly felt his heart beating faster. Immediately, he inwardly cursed at himself because Judy would more than likely feel this due to her paws being all over him. He carefully glanced down to see her eyes were still looking at the television. _Jeez,_ his thoughts breathed out. _Close call. Smooth, Wilde. Almost screwed that one up._

He was awarded with a wave of relief hitting him.

They had switched to watching AK/News and the elephant reporter was droning on about the recent B-side gossip circulating the world wide web involving the famous pop singer, Gazelle, who may have been spotted with several different lovers on three separate occasions. The news, which began a little less than a week ago, seemed to be surfacing with a vengeance. According to two unnamed sources, during the most recent tour session across the nation, the paparazzi captured several photos of the alleged lovers and were strategically sitting on the photographs in an attempt to wait for the highest bidder. Supposedly, the pictures that were already leaked online were bad photoshops and had a variety of easily identifiable flaws. At this point, it was all speculation, but that was enough.

That's all it took with someone of Gazelle's social stature. And that had not even been the kicker. The juiciness of the story hindered on the fact that her relationships may very well have been with partners out of her species and, as Glam Magazine put it, "predator-related"—specifically a cheetah, a tiger, and an African wild dog. The ladder of the three had been the major shocker, both animals being long known enemies nearly as prevalent as rabbits and foxes and perhaps even more vicious. As predicted, every news outlet would use the horrible and tact pun of connecting her "Try Everything" single hit with her exploits, and the current newscaster was doing just that…much to Nick's chagrin.

In a way, Nick felt sorry for her partly because he could imagine himself in a similar situation, getting found out by others, being labelled as an outcast because of his horribly powerful attraction to the "enemy" species, and then being pressed until he had no choice but to move elsewhere. It was a disgustingly terrifying prospect and made him hate the lumpy elephant on screen.

"What a bunch of pricks," Nick found himself saying aloud.

"Yea," Judy said calmly, although she was undoubtedly on the same page as him.

He felt her paw caress up and down his chest.

"Who the hell are they to say who she can and can't screw around with?" Nick's query, while directed at Judy, was therapeutically asked to himself as well.

"I know. It's her choice. Besides…she's got the right idea going after hunky predators."

And then, suddenly, he felt _it_ again. Right on cue. A long rabbit foot trailing in an almost circular motion against his crotch, prodding at his sheath.

His ears pinned back, and he swallowed hard while trying to control his breathing. He looked down to see her toes splaying as her feet paws lightly mashed him.

 _Too much,_ his mind screamed. _Too fuckin' much. Too fuckin' much. Don't pop a rod, dude. Don't do it. Willpower. Fox power. Fox willpower. You're not even into this kind of thing. Yea. Okay, we got this. Yep. Good. No. Wait. Nope. Weak._

You're fuckin' weak—He let out a short breath of pent-up pleasure, immediately afraid she might have heard. He once again sneakily peered over at her and caught glimpse of something that nearly stopped his heart: a feign, slightly seductive smile barely inching across her face. She was still looking at the television, but the look was there plain as day.

His eyes, now wide with understanding, turned to stare straight up at the ceiling.

 _Ho—ly shit_ … She was for sure playing this game on purpose. This had been anything but unintentional.

As if realizing she'd been caught, something happened that sent Nick's head into a dizzying, spiral-esque rollercoaster ride, and all he could do was look down as it all played out in front of him: her left foot paw rose, gingerly resting where his balls were, and his crotch was firmly pressed down by the sole of her other foot as if she was trying to grab ahold of him by using nothing but both feet paws in a fantastic display of lagomorph gymnastic capabilities. She lightly tugged up and down, not even paying attention to the fact that Nick's breathing was now coming out in steady wafts, deep at first and then higher pitched as he reached a new state of pleasure, and like a feral animal slowly being awakened, his muzzle ever so slightly snarled, half of his sharp canines revealing themselves in the dimly lit room. Up and down, up and down—this motion continued until she could feel nearly four inches of his rigid member pressed against his thigh and poking from beneath his fox foreskin.

At that point, his size would have been more than enough to satisfy a bunny her stature, but the fact that she could feel he was not even close to being fully aroused made her heart flutter with slight trepidation and curiosity. She suddenly remembered how big he'd gotten while making out with her during the concert; it had been quite a display of canine masculinity, even for a fox. Unconsciously, a question floated in view of her thoughts: had _that_ even been at full length? She pictured the possibilities but immediately realized imagining was pointless because he was right here, stiffening in her tender grasp. Clutching his tie with both paws, she was now using her toes, pressing hard against his shaft like she was trying to milk it in his pants while lightly wiggling her digits, dancing over his length, which now felt radiated with heat even underneath his jeans. Again, she could feel it grow more, this time swelling in girth as well as length. Was it up to six inches now? And it _still_ seemed to be awakening. The fact that his knot hadn't even formed made her realize how much of a chore it would be to eventually get that thing inside her.

Rocking both legs, she guided either of her feet paws to continue caressing long and hard rubs against him, determined to compare how big he was compared to her long feet.

 _Holy cheese-and-crackers,_ she thought. _He's so hung._

"Ah!" she heard Nick cry out in a sudden unexpected spouting of approval. He hadn't even tried to hide it this time.

Her muzzle was slightly open, her own breaths now coming out in a heightened state of heated arousal. She looked up to see Nick's reaction and found his submissive yet highly predatorial look unfathomably satisfying. "Oh-my-gosh, Mr. Wilde…" she breathed out, her words nearly tripping in her throat. "I…I never thought you'd be such a dirty freak." Nick's eyes opened. She stopped rubbing, giving him some breathing room to respond, although she kept her feet paws pressed firmly against him like a cat toying with its food. It took him a moment to reduce the weak pants that had begun dribbling from his tongue.

"Says the filthy rabbit who initiated this," he breathed out.

A slight flush formed on her face as one of her paws unlatched from his tie and caught wind of how fast his heart was beating. He was positively riled up. It rattled against his ribcage as if it was trying to escape. It took more than a beat for Judy to fire back a response. "I'm just being…creative," she said lamely.

" _Bull_ shit. You've done this before. Back at the concert, remember? I think a nasty fetish has surfaced, Cottontail."

"Well…" Judy looked down at her work, his cloaked erection now extending beyond the length of her feet paws. "You don't seem to mind…"

" _Mind?_ Fuck, Carrots. I'm hoping in a little bit we can continue this but _without_ the pants…" He felt Judy's breath waft against his neck in what sounded like relief, and her ears rose back up to act as collaborative evidence. Thinking about this, Nick realized how perfect his comment had been because denying or even putting down something this deeply intimate developed over time would have been a staggering exercise in traumatic rejection. He could safely say she was _any_ thing but a prude, but she still was that same emotionally driven rabbit he adored, and the scene involving him rejecting whatever foreplay she wanted to begin with did not look well in his mind reel.

"M-maybe," she stuttered. "We'll see…"

"Oh, that's just cruel, Fluff. Blue-balls and all."

She giggled, but in her giggle, a trace of naughtiness still lingered.

"So, when did that little tick of yours start?" Nick asked with genuine curiosity. He felt her lightly rub against him as she had been doing before. His maw slightly opened at the sensation. "You've clearly had practice."

"I…I don't know…" her hesitation was now apparent. She suddenly stopped her exploration.

He looked down to see that she had a horribly embarrassed look on her face. It was as if she had been suddenly yanked out of her reverie with the realization of how forward she'd become—forward enough to accidentally engage in an act she may have tried, with a monumental albeit unsuccessful effort, to hide for the longest time.

Nick lifted her muzzle so that she was looking directly at him.

"Carrots, you don't have to feel awkward about it. I don't find it weird at all. In fact," Nick trailed off as he brought his muzzle to hers and let loose a tongue-filled kiss before slightly pulling away from her, "I think a filthy little rabbit is what I need in my life right now. I find that side of you _incredibly_ sexy. I mean, all you have to do is look at my pants to see if I'm lying."

She smiled, a titter escaping her mouth. "Thanks, Slick." She planted a light kiss on his lips before melting into his chest and wrapping her arms around him.

He could feel the giddiness in her body as she hugged him like that for a while then lifted her head so that her eyes met his. "I'm sorry, but…can we pause for a second? I need to get something to drink."

"Sure."

"Want anything?"

"No thanks."

"'Kay." Breaking free from whatever doubts infested her insides, her body seemed to lose the tension built up from the innocent slip-up, and she got off of Nick before padding over to the kitchen, the tender tap of her claws clicking on the tile floor with each step.

He found the sound unusually bawdy after learning about her secret proclivity for using those lower appendages in ways that many other animals wouldn't. On the way over, she lifted her drooping ears with both paws like a female would while wrapping her hair into a ponytail, and her back arched in a very suggestive manner while doing so. Nick caught a glance of her shirt riding up which gave him view of her supple hips and the side of her taut stomach enveloped by creamy white fur that trailed down her navel and beyond. He lightly bit his tongue. Her motions were meticulous, planned out, and painfully girly—fucking down-right _hot_ , in fact—and it made Nick lean his chin atop his paw, unable to take his curious eyes away from every movement she conducted: from the opening of the fridge, to turning her head over toward him, to letting one ear flop over her left eye, to shooting him a brief naughty glance with half-lidded bedroom eyes. He could already feel himself slightly hardening at her look, although it was a short-lived bit of bliss because she quickly turned her attention back to the fridge as if nothing happened. Bringing out a water bottle, she then padded back to the living room, but rather than return directly to the couch, she moved in front of the television and opened one of the drawers below where a variety of DVD's were stacked in alphabetical order.

"So…'wanna watch a movie or something?" she asked a little too innocently while looking down at the films.

Nick shifted slightly on the couch, adjusting his crotch as he brought his line of sight to the floor for a moment.

"Yea, we could do— He stopped mid-sentence as his head rose back up. The sight before him pummeled any speech he had left. The little minx was bending over while looking through the movie selection, and she was absolutely doing it on purpose.

A show.

This was a risqué showing.

Her teardrop tail was standing up to reveal its white bottom as she kept her legs straight and her torso bent down, tracing her paw over each DVD like she was counting the number of seconds she'd remain there, and the perfectly round shape of what she was presenting to Nick made his tongue curve from his mouth as he began very softly panting. He didn't even care at this point if he was heard. One of her legs slightly twisted, bending in a way that made her ass turn to give him a fantastic view of each cheek, and it was only until now that he realized the sheer level of symmetry she possessed. It was true he had ogled that very same behind countless times in the past—sometimes at the office, sometimes while making their daily rounds, sometimes while hanging out…any chance he could get, really—but her wearing such a minuscule getup truly revealed how much effort she'd recently put into maintaining a healthy and perfect roundness to her. He could see, because of how high her shorts hiked up, that the creamy white fur covered a portion of her upper back thighs, tapering off in a somewhat circular pattern as if it encircled her ass cheeks and met up with the whiteness of her tail's bottom. It may have looked like a large splatter of white paint had been thrown against her backside; he didn't know for sure, but what he did know was that he would get a much better view of the pattern if those shorts were gone. His paw nearly rose as if wanting to float over there to get a grip of either side, so he may slowly discard her of those pesky clothing pieces.

Judy turned around, scaring off Nick's fantasy. "What do you think?"

He was at a loss for words. It had almost sounded like she was asking about something other than the movies. Nick was quiet in an attempt to formulate a sentence. "Uh…" he uncomfortably forced from him mouth, afraid he'd been silent for too long. "Well…I don't know…"

"It's okay," she said, putting a paw on her hip. "We don't have to watch one if you don't want to." One of her ears was at a slight, playful bend. "Instead, we could watch some more news, maybe? Listen to them talk about Gazelle and her tiger dancers?"

"Carrots…" Nick said, his tone riddled with helpless defeat.

Ignoring him, she shrugged and then casually walked over to the other side of the couch, putting both knees on the cushioned bottom. Then, in another shrill display of foreplay— _Yes_ , Nick mused, _this is foreplay…calculated...this calculated torture has to be leading to something_ —she tilted her body so that her back was facing him, and as she set the water bottle on the stand next to the couch, she yet again bent over to give him another wonderfully succulent piece of eye-candy. One foot paw was on top of the other, the white bottom of her soles showing while her toes slightly curled to reveal a set of dark grey claws, and her knees were nearly touching each other in order to give him the best possible bend he could ask for—the kind of bend that'd drive any animal into a frothing mess, the kind of bend that begged for a spot to be filled, the kind of bend he'd want to see as he was plowing his cock in and out of her quivering bunny snatch with wanton abandon. He momentary closed his eyes, breathing out a meditative waft of air and attempting to clear his mind before he completely lost control and literally pounced on her. _Bunnies_ , he thought.

 _Bunnies_.

What this softcore game was teaching him was another valuable lesson about delving into uncharted waters. He was now coming to understand not only what it was like exploring pre-mating games with a species unlike his own, but also how these games were a terribly frustrating tug-of-war competition, a creative blend of teasing and suffering all at once; foxes did something similar too, but it was more tail-oriented, but damnit if this wasn't worse: it was a fantastically alluring experience but incredibly strategic as well. And she was a grand master at it. Unlike their witty battles in the police car, she winning this game for sure. He simply couldn't keep up.

"Carrots…" Nick pleaded, his sense of defeat reeking in his tone, "you _win_ , alright? I admit defeat."

Without looking back, Judy playfully asked, "What do you mean?"

"You haven't even opened your water bottle…this…you win this game… alright?"

"Nicholas Wilde, you don't know what you're saying." She curled her toes and shifted her leg again, causing her ass to twist and turn.

Overkill to beat a beaten player. She was bad, this girl.

"You're really pushing it right now," Nick warned. "You pretty much have driven me to my limit. Like…I'm serious. I'd be careful before…" he stopped, unable to finish his sentence.

He could hear Judy breathe out. It sounded sharp, uncontained. In fact, it almost sounded...lusty. He saw her legs slightly shift, and she switched the placement of her feet paws so that the other was now on top. Within a matter of seconds, she seemed to gain her composure.

Then it came. The green light he was waiting for.

"You know," she said mock matter-of-factly, "I think I know why Gazelle goes for predators. I bet their tongues are really rough."

"What!?" Nick's teeth flashed in shock as his eyes bugged out. "What'd you just say!?"

"Predator tongues. Good for eating the right stuff…big, long, slick…warm and wet…"

It felt like a zap of lightning struck him. In _no fucking way_ was this a _subtle_ hint.

No way, no how. You couldn't be any clearer than that. This was virtually an open invitation. A full-on request from her to him. And it more than likely involved his tongue. He breathed out deeply, feeling his instincts kicking in full force. Without thinking about it and with a pinpoint's worth of control, his body rose up so that he was only on his knees, and he used them to crawl toward her.

All expectations, all sense of control was thrown out the window as his paws found themselves grasping either side of her buttocks, the feel of her thin waist soft beneath his black claws which were now lightly pressed against her fur.

Releasing a tiny gasp, she seemed to stiffen up slightly, not in a way that demonstrated dismissal but rather in a way that screamed of anxiousness and anticipation. She felt firm yet delicate to his touch—a perfect combination of meat and muscle. Perfect prey. Perfect, _tenderized,_ _**fuckable**_ _**PREY**_. As a response to his forwardness, he could hear her breathing becoming heavy with intimacy, both of her hips now slightly rocking from side to side as if giving him a mini dance, and it didn't help any that she swung her head in his direction, both ears flushed and flopping to the side, to reveal half-lidded purple eyes screaming with desire. It had been such a sexy move on her part that Nick nearly exploded right then and there. The look on her face was plastered with so much sexual tension that his erection was already at full mass, painfully pressing against his thigh and trailing down at a more than impressive length. His tongue lolled out from his muzzle as he desperately pressed his hardon against Judy's backside. The huge lump beneath his jeans could no doubt be felt by her because she immediately let out a light gasp of built up ecstasy. To drive the point home further, he leaned his torso over her back so that his muzzle was directly against her right ear.

The words oozed from him.

"Those tigers got nothing on me, Carrots. And as a punishment for your constant teasing, I'm gonna' make you cum so fucking hard with this fox tongue that you won't ever want to talk about another predator again."

Judy closed both eyes and let out a small whine that she captured by putting her paw against her mouth. _Holy shit_ were the words that battered themselves into her mind. This was really happening right now, and she couldn't believe it. This was happening. Nick Wilde, the fox that haunted every one of her darkest, intimate fantasies, was going to turn her into a sloppy mess of twitching nerves by eating her out with that long, superb tongue of his. Her eyes opened. From her peripheral vision, she saw a large set of canine fangs flashing in a grin of dominance, a perfect image to every scene she secretly imagined while masturbating where a well-hung beast like him leaned over her and let himself take over in the dirtiest of ways he knew how. Still bent over, her back arched as her paw found its way to Nick's fangs. She bit her lip, stifling another cry of pleasure, and she grabbed ahold of his lower mandible so that she may feel the sharpness of his teeth against her tiny fingers, rubbing them up and down against his canines and molars, letting them press against her sensitive flesh. Her eyes were now closed again, her hips rocking back and forth, and as if catching on to Judy's predator-prey scenario, Nick's tongue began to caress against her paw in long strokes, twining its way between each finger as if playing with his food.

Her breathing was shallow now, almost as if she was actually being penetrated.

She could suddenly feel him grip her hips harder and grind his crotch against her ass with heavy force, so much so that she envisioned him knotted completely in her and what it would feel like, what it would sound like with his heavy pants and growling and balls slapping against her as he let loose short, desperate thrusts before nutting a hot, sticky fox load in her bunny pussy. She was so horny right now that she could feel every warm, moist, liquid-sex feeling residing in her core fling themselves from her mouth in a single word that served as a perfect metaphor for the moment.

"Fuck…" she nearly whispered, letting go of Nick's lower jaw.

Nick's response was to grind down against her backside in an almost circular motion, similar to what she had been doing to him with her feet paws.

This time, Judy couldn't help herself and let a whimper escape her mouth without blocking it. It was loud, high-pitched, and oozed with desire.

"You okay, Carrots?" Nick whispered, his voice still heavy with seduction.

"Y-yes," she breathed out. "I'm…I'm just so…" she stopped not even able to finish.

"If you think _this_ is good, wait until I start lapping at your little pussy. I'm gonna' slide my tongue around your clit so slowly that you won't know what to do with yourself."

"Ohhhhh…" she pushed her hips back, initiating her own grind against the predator locked against her. She wanted it badly, wanted him badly.

"Do you trust me?" he asked. She felt him lightly nip at the soft flesh of her right ear.

"Yea…" she said weakly.

"Good. Now, you be a good little bunny and just stay in that position. Don't move a muscle. I'll take care of the rest."

She could feel Nick's ridged member beneath his jeans pull away from against her backside and his paws vanish after unlatching her sides. For a moment, she felt a sudden rush of regret, a sense of disappointment that the position of foreplay he had her in was over, but just as soon as the invading feeling had entered her mind, it left with no trace remaining right at the point when Nick's claws dug beneath her shorts and slowly pulled them down to her ankles and then passed her curled toes. Had she not been so strung up with molten want, she would have felt the slight coolness to the room against her rump, which happened to be covered by nothing more than a very lacy, red G-string thong.

On Nick's end, he was utterly and completely awestruck. Apart from their little game today, the fact that he'd checked her ass out many times before and _still_ managed to have his mind nearly reel inward at seeing this was a true testament to her refinement—it was _just_ as he had imagined when fantasizing about her before going out to drinks at the Black Raven. And he had been spot on, too: the color definitely did accentuate the grey toned fur that softly meshed into pure white toward the middle of each cheek, trailing its way between her delicious thighs. Her teardrop tail was in the air and was a perfect viewing combination for the exquisite ass that was presenting itself to Nick. It looked fucking gorgeous. Robust yet filled. He let his paws trace up her left ass cheek and then gently lifted the portion of the thong that wrapped around her waist, letting it hang by one of his index finger's claws.

"Now, Carrots," he started, the thumping in his chest rocketing against its confined ribs, "these are quite naughty. For someone who didn't seem too sure of herself earlier, I find it fascinating she's wearing such a lacy 'fuck-me' thong."

"Shut up, stupid fox," she moaned out.

Nick's paws explored further, grasping either of her cheeks. He ran his paws up and down them, clenching the firmness of what could only be described as a flawless ass, and in a moment of pure sexual curiosity, unable to restrain himself, he spread both cheeks apart, the lace of the thong falling in between what he could see was an extremely lubricated and hot bunny pussy and a perfectly formed butthole, both of which was no doubt tighter than anything he would ever be able to imagine. His breathing was wafting from his maw in uncontrollable bursts: now he was full-on panting with no restraint. His control was barely in his grasp. He began formulating plans of what he might do, how he might coax her into different scenarios—perhaps he could even manage to eat her box so well that he could sneak his finger or tongue in that perfect asshole to get a feel for how kinky she was willing to be in a moment of pure ecstasy.

While his thoughts were running rampant, they were interrupted by a sudden motion: as if having a mind of its own, and without warning, Nick's paw fingers straightened and slapped one of Judy's butt cheeks, a light clap filling the room immediately followed by a half-pleasurable, half-shocked moan from her. Quite shocked with himself, Nick's tail fluffed out and his ears pinned back as he remained still for a moment, unsure how she would respond. Nothing. No protest. In fact, she seemed to… _like_ it? His heart went back to pounding. To test this newly found theory out, with his other hand, he lightly slapped her other ass cheek.

Again, she moaned, but it was even louder this time. He squeezed both cheeks and then spread them apart again, getting another view of the dampening spot he'd meticulously massage with his tongue after their extended round of foreplay ended.

Feeling good with himself, Nick cockily smiled at realizing he was winning this round of the game.

Never in his life did he let a moment of sexuality lag on as long as it had been with Judy right now. It was beautifully frustrating; an act he actually wanted to carry out. It wasn't that he was a selfish lover by any means, nor was it that he was not experienced enough to build up to a steady crescendo of heavy petting, but his past resume of sexual exploits did not involve someone as impacting as the rabbit that was bent over before him. His current actions with Judy was something that was organically happening, puzzle pieces rearranging into the perfect picture. In the past, he'd been fairly quick to get into the act of sex with his girlfriends and one-night trysts, but Judy was different, and it was not only because she was a different species. She was different in an emotional sense, different in how he perceived her as an animal. He'd thought of her as a reserved country bunny at one time, specifically ever since seeing her reaction at the Mystic Springs Oasis club (the enshrouding embarrassment that had been displayed over her face had made him smile at how naïve she'd been to the idea of something as simple as a naturist club) but now, seeing her like this, feeling her body language demanding more of his gropes and slaps like a bitch in heat, he admitted that he'd been conned pretty well. She was an entirely different rabbit than initially perceived, projecting a predatorial sexuality akin to Nick's own. In fact, the desire may have been stronger, which almost worried him…well…almost.

His fully gorged erection and forming knot didn't seem to mind. He couldn't help but wonder if all rabbits were like this. Was this a "Judy" thing or a "lagomorph-in-general" thing? The answer might forever remain a mystery, but what he did know for sure was that right now he wanted to please her more than ever. He wanted to melt her into a puddle of post-orgasmic bliss and then dip her right back into that puddle just to see her face erupt in euphoria. He wanted to hear her cry his name out and beg him to continue. He wanted to do every filthy thing he could imagine with her and then some.

A new idea formed in his mind.

With his right paw, he cupped his fingers and slowly caressed them up and down the spot of Judy's thong that was so wet.

Immediately, she let out a shrill cry of pleasure.

"Oh! Ah! Ohhhhh…nyaaaa!" Her moans mixed together in a wonderful language.

Nick continued kneading up and down in a firm yet controlled rhythm. His middle finger found its way between her pussy, pushing the fabric of her thong against her own skin and resting in between her labia vertically. Just based on that simple motion alone, he could feel how incredibly tight she was going to be when he eventually penetrated her. Stiflingly tight. A squeeze unlike any other. It would no doubt make any and every sexual experience he's ever had seem trivial, completely meaningless, and in realizing this, he felt himself momentarily wobble into lightheadedness at the thought of his cock buried deep within that rabbit hole. How quickly he would cum could be anybody's guess, but he deduced that it would be one hell of a battle to extend their mating beyond a minute.

His rubbing continued, spurring on another set of bunny moans.

Without thinking, a question escaped his maw.

"You like big predator paws feeling you up?" He breathed out.

"Uh-huh," she cried out in a near shout while nodding her head. She hadn't even looked back as if begging him to continue.

He lightly clapped her left cheek again with his paw. A mixed whine was her response. This time it was pushed out of her in a way that made him think she'd had a mini orgasm.

Music to his ears.

 _Fuck…she's a_ _ **dirty**_ _bunny_ , Nick's mind inwardly celebrated. _A dirty,_ _ **filthy**_ _little girl. You won the lottery, my friend._

Again, Nick leaned over so that his muzzle was right next to Judy's face. He gave her a long lick starting at the base of her neck and up to her cheek.

"I'm going to teach you a lesson for having mentioned another predator around me," he whispered.

"Ohhh…teach me, baby," she cooed.

Those words did it for Nick. Like flint pieces colliding, a flame began to rage from the falling sparks. Her submissive response, the cause of this magnificent building fire, broke the barrier holding back whatever predatorial side of his he had been suppressed, and a mass rush of oxytocin coursed in his mind as he began frantically unwinding his tie followed by the unbuttoning of his shirt, which was nearly ripped to shreds by his claws due to how frantic his motions were. Tossing his attire to the side of the couch, he unfastened his jeans and pulled the zipper down in order to give his raging hardon some breathing room.

Hearing the noise, Judy looked back with an agape mouth to see that Nick's shirt was completely off and what remained was the best possible pornographic snapshot she could imagine: an overpowering fox towered behind her, well-muscled, toned in the manner of a slim swimmer, a beautiful set of abs flexing underneath the light-orange fur of his abdomen, and she could see his arms ripple as he leaned on them and relieved her of the thong blocking her quivering genitalia by use of nothing more than his sharp teeth. A long string of sticky lubrication that had built up from her arousal connected to the inner portion of her thong and extended itself, slopping across Nick's muzzle as his fangs guided the thin garment down. Frustration pushed its way in view, and she could feel him roughly grab ahold of both of her ankles with one paw, lifting them up so that he could use his mouth to quickly yank away her thong, which he did with fierce determination. The passionate yet firm act was such a domineering display of canine ownership that she couldn't help but breathe out her approval. His tongue slopped from his mouth while he panted and was connected to a long trail of saliva that began dribbling down to the couch cushion—the organ looked so long and red, almost like how his dick would be, and she desperately wanted it to be lapping at her pussy, soaking her folds in predator saliva.

So, she let him know.

"Mmmh, c'mon, Slick," she said, pleading plaguing her voice, "get to work."

Without a word, Nick grabbed her bare hips and pulled her toward the middle of the couch, turning her so that her rump was facing the television, and he set his knees against the carpet as to get the best possible vantage point between him and his target. Both of his paws grasped at the highest portion of her thighs, the size difference between both species clearly indicated by how his fingers nearly reached all the way around the meat. He firmly held her in place, maintaining complete control. Opening his maw and hovering it in front of her ass, his hot wafts of breath blew against the creamy white fur in frenzied bursts, and he then gently pressed the top row of his teeth against her cheeks so that he could let his tongue gloss along her pussy. Immediately, his nerves were enveloped in syrupy heat, and a strong taste of bunny lubricant—sweet like nectar due to her diet of fruits and vegetables—overwhelmed his sense of taste. He lightly began to lap her like he was a dog drinking water from a bowl. She lost her mind. The response from her was a long and loud moan unlike any she'd expressed yet, and Nick could feel her squirming but gripped his paws harder, his claws pressing against the flesh of her inner thighs as a reminder of who was in charge. Careful not to be too rough or lose his sense of rhythm, Nick knew from experience the best thing would be to stick to a single pace and continue that way; acting crazy or digging too deep would do nothing for her, especially if he neglected to massage her clit, so he did. He continued lapping at a moderate pace—up, down, up, down, meticulous and well-designed motions, making sure to take extra time to slide along the small nub atop her labia with careful consideration, and as he did this, his breath acted as a tiny stimulant by fluttering against her tiny asshole.

Judy seemed to be so overwhelmed that her upper torso was twisting and turning, her head attempting to look back at him only to feebly drop in lost euphoria, and he could hear her moans turn into muffles as she clamped her auxiliary incisors down on the back cushion of the couch.

 _Ohh…even better; a little pillow-biter, too,_ he thought. He continued eating her out for the next two-and-a-half minutes, keeping his consistent pace at an almost mechanical precision, and it only took ten more seconds before her whole body shivered and bucked, her knees knocking together and her toes curling as one of the most powerful orgasms she'd ever experienced rocked her world into a gooey mush puddle. She had unclamped from the couch and wailed out a series of moans that escalated in sound with every breath she took, ending on a squealing high note that made Nick's pre-cum-moistened erection bob up, only to be painfully obstructed by his pants. She continued crying out, each expression of approval dying down with the next, until she was a mess of excited breaths. Nick cockily grinned, thinking, _Nick: 0—Judy: 1_. This part of the game he wanted to lose badly, and he would try his hardest to make that happen. Without thinking, his tongue continued lapping, but he was met with a response that made him stop almost immediately.

" _Wait_ - _wait-wait_ -wait-wait, stop! No, stop!" Judy whined out, her voice still filled with post-orgasmic bliss.

Nick's ears stood up, and he jutted his head upward. A long string of saliva still connected from his mouth to Judy's crotch.

"What's wrong?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Ah, ah, ah…" Judy sounded like she'd just run around the border of Zootopia ten times. "It's…ah…it's…really…ah…s-sensitive…after…ah…always…ah…"

"Oh," Nick said, relived he hadn't hurt her.

It took a second for what she said to fully register, but when it did, Nick got a nasty idea. A wonderfully nasty idea.

His ears slightly lowered, finding themselves pinned back entirely to accompany a long and devious smile spread across his muzzle.

"I'll make due with something else while we're waiting," he said.

Before she could ask or deduce what he meant, she felt his paws retain the same firm grip they had on her thighs as before, and a hot, moist sensation unexpectedly rolled over her anus, sending a high-pitched, shocked gasp flinging from her mouth. She arched her back, managing to turn her head and get a glimpse of Nick carefully trailing his tongue along her asshole at an upward motion, making sure to not withdraw it in any way so that it felt like a constant massage to her. The sensation was riveting. She then felt the tip of his tongue wind around the rim and lightly dip inside, teasing the opening. His ingenious plan was working well—the fact that she'd been so overwhelmed with her first orgasm left her with little room to object to his preoccupied actions, and this was made even more apparent by the way her breathing was beginning to reach the same state it had when he had first started licking her folds.

She _liked_ this.

It was clear. The _dirty, filthy, kinky_ bunny was caught again, but this time, she didn't recoil from embarrassment.

From his perspective, Nick was unquestionably loving every second of his backdoor exploration; her cleanliness was impeccable and there was not a hint of unwanted taste or smell as he edged in deeper with every new flex of his tongue. It was incredibly tight, too— _unimaginably_ tight— and he could feel the beautiful hole pucker as his twirling organ snaked down it nearly an inch and a half in length. Unlatching his left paw from Judy's thigh, he brought his middle finger up to her clit and slowly began to massage it in rough circular strokes, making sure to be meticulous with how consistent his motions were. Her sudden moan was followed by another clench of her butthole around his tongue. His teeth flashed in an open-mouth smile, and Nick knew this was how he'd want to make her cum for round two.

With his tongue up her ass.

He was literally going to make Judy cum with his tongue up her ass.

"Ahhhhh…oh shhhit..." she whispered. Using the side of her finger, she bit down on her paw and looked back at Nick with half-lidded eyes.

He could feel her rocking back against his tongue, her hips convulsing to try and keep up with his digit so wonderfully prodding at her clit, and in a moment of foggy pleasure, she arched her back and managed to swiftly and flexibly use both paws to completely remove her shirt and bra, tossing them both behind the couch like one would discard trash. She hadn't been kidding when telling him that rabbits were incredibly horny. It all seemed to be leaking out into the open now. Even with his mind zoned in on getting her to orgasm again, the curious part of his brain convinced his other paw to unlatch from her thigh and slither up to her chest, which it did before lightly squeezing one of her breasts. They weren't very large, but they felt incredibly perky, and this elicited another moan from her. Her own paw pressed against his, guiding him in the motion she'd like him to rub her breast, so he followed suit, using his three appendages to conduct a complex series of stimulations that complimented one another ridiculously well.

Judy was already on Cloud Nine, her breathing reaching a heightened state where every other exhalation was a loud whine, and hearing this made Nick dip his tongue in and out of her puckering hole like a dildo with fast rhythm. He continued doing this for what felt like a minute before getting authentically frustrated with the bobbing of his confined erection, so he very sneakily managed to withdraw the paw on Judy's breast, bring it down to his pants, and lower the bothersome clothing (underwear included) to his knees so that his boner broke completely free from its penitentiary. It was throbbing; a thick and long tool of red nerves so large in size that it slightly jutted downward, unable to support its own weight caused by the large knot that was forming at its base. Pre-cum oozed from its tip and drizzled its way to the carpet like juicy icing. Feeling much better with himself, Nick found his second wind and continued pleasing Judy with new conviction. It took him another two minutes to give her another point.

"Oh… _ffffuck_! I'm gonna' cum, baby. Don't stop, don't stop, don't _stah_ —" Judy let loose.

Nick: 0—Judy: 2.

He felt her anus contract around his tongue and her pussy quiver as his finger continued encircling her clit only until she stopped squirming. Her moans, like before, filled the room, perhaps even breaking through the walls to her neighbors in a proud cry of shameless joy that got them wondering what possibly could be going on next door, and the little squeals that followed were sounds Nick already learned to love. A squealer, a pillow-biter, a dirty talker—she was one hell of a sex fiend. Pulling away, he wanted to see the scope of his mighty work: her ass was a sloppy mess now; soaked around her puckering rectum, saliva glistened in the light and trailed all the way down to her box, some even still connecting to Nick's panting maw, and her hands were resting against the couch beneath her stomach almost as if they had completely lost all life to them. Nick's paw trailed up to her right butt cheek and he gave it a good slap; the motion was a little harder than he anticipated, but she didn't even really give much of a reaction, having been completely enveloped in the aftermath of her second orgasm, this one being just as good as the first. As if enacting a slight apology, he let that very same paw rub alongside the cheek he had just whacked and gently squeeze it.

He couldn't take his eyes from the sight.

 _Worship_.

That was the word that manifested in view of him.

He wanted to _worship_ that ass.

It was perfect in every way, and seeing it like this, seeing it as a used, gooey mess and bare and _open_ to him, made him only want to dive right back in. How he would last longer than thirty seconds in that stunning tunnel would be a feat unto his own. His heart fluttered at realizing he was legitimately getting off at making her cum without the use of his penis. He hadn't even bothered touching himself—it was an endurance of anticipation, a newfound edging into his own orgasm, and he wanted more before he shot his wad.

He wanted in there deeper.

Yes, deeper.

Down there. Now.

He grabbed both of her hips and twisted them so that she was now laying on her back and facing him. He gripped her legs by the tops of their calves, opposite of her knees, and pushed them aside so that she was spread-eagle like a gymnast, exposed in an undeniably vulnerable way. The look on her face was curiosity blended with enraptured afterglow, and the sight of her biting her lip now only drove Nick into a further state of primal craziness. Her stomach was rising and falling in synch with her rapid breathing, and he could now see a perfect view of her perky little tits; they actually looked surprisingly large for a rabbit, which wasn't saying much of course, but he couldn't help but wonder how she seemed to hide them while wearing her uniform. Still managing to hold either of her legs in place, Nick shifted his knees forward and leaned into her so that he could bring his muzzle atop one of her breasts, and his own rough tongue lapped one of her tiny, perked nipples, which elicited a loud moan from her—he then grazed his teeth over the flesh with just enough pressure to remind her that she was dealing with a predator, keeping his rough tongue at a moderate pace as it swept back and forth against her nipple analogous to how he massaged her clit. He could feel her paws rest behind his head, slightly pushing his muzzle against her as she sharply gasped, only enabling his actions to continue, but he knew better than to just immediately start going into a licking frenzy and kept the consistent pace going with his tongue just like how he ate her out during their very first sexual experience together. Be specific, don't rush; that was the game. Slow and steady.

Her increase in breathing told him exactly what to do, and he followed it like a guide. Every so often, he would let his lips softly curl around her miniscule areola and he'd make a very delicate sucking motion against her, but just as swiftly, as to not disrupt the ebb and flow of his pleasuring of her, his tongue found itself back to business, moving up and down again with such a methodical rhythm that she may very well cum without even touching her vagina. He could tell he was doing a fine job based on how her breathing was quicker, higher pitched, and how moans would unintentionally spring from her mouth in a geyser effect.

Judy's paws found their way to his chest, squeezing tufts of fur and exploring his muscles, and she got glimpse of how huge his dick was. It was right now resting up on the couch, nearly touching her rump, and her insides tightened at seeing the large the forming knot as it pulsed, heavily engorged with blood. His balls, which lazily hunkered on the couch cushion below, were full and looked like the size of two plums; they were a color very similar to the light orange coat staining his chest and had very fine, miniscule hair around them save for the tops, which meshed into regular threads. She'd only seen canine penises on pornographic sites, but the ones that she had seen did not fare to how wonderfully shaped Nick's was: its color was a deep red shade with a slightly purplish hue splattered about at the tapered tip, which came out to a small point, and without even counting the knot, it looked as though it rested anywhere between seven to seven-and-a-half inches in length. Her old boyfriends had been virtually nonexistent in comparison to the sheer size Nick displayed and that wasn't even counting his girth; her mind raced at thinking what it would feel like to grab ahold of it, to slide her paws along its length, to milk the bulbous orb at its root in circular jerks and hear how he might react. Her inquiring thoughts programmed her to reach her paws out and graze his length, but before she could get a good enough feel, she felt Nick's teeth lightly clamp onto her breast and a low but thunderous growl escape from his throat. Shocked, she withdrew her hand like it had been burned.

He pulled his torso slightly away and brought his muzzle millimeters away from her face in an almost threatening motion. " _No!_ You don't have permission to touch that yet," Nick scolded.

Judy's mouth was open in a mild smile coated with more arousal than amusement. "Why?" she asked.

"You haven't learned your lesson yet, rabbit. _I'm_ the predator here. _I_ get to say what goes."

"Mmm…"

He felt her legs pull from side to side, almost as if she was acting like she wanted to get away. His grip tightened around her legs, his claws legitimately scratching against her flesh. She closed her eyes at this feeling. It was so hot to her, this little play-acting scene, and it made the experience all the more rousing that she was fully spread and just waiting for him to make whatever move he wanted. And he could. He could claim her right now if he wanted—legitimately, relentlessly, for as long as he wished—and she truly could not do a thing about it. He felt so strong to her, too, so in control of the situation. It was making her wetter than ever.

"There's no escape, little Cottontail. I'll do what I want to you."

"Mmh…what're you gonna' do?"

Nick's teeth flashed. "I'm having bunny for lunch, that's what."

"Ohhh…please don't eat me."

"I'll eat what I want." Nick gave her a little nip at her ear, which she fully welcomed. "What can you do about it?"

"N-nothing…" Judy whimpered as Nick's tongue trailed from her chest to her cheek.

"That's right," he said. "But first, before I eat, you have to be tenderized. And…" Nick slid his paws up to her ankles, still making sure she was spread wide. "I think I know exactly where to start."

Judy remained slightly confused. She watched with piqued fascination, unable to register what he was about to do…until it was done.

She gasped.

In her wildest fantasies, Judy hadn't imagined Nick being so bold as to amuse her with an abnormal act that she secretly found arousing, but it looked as though he was doing just that: starting at the base of her right foot, Nick trailed his tongue all the way up to the tips of her three toes, pressing his lips against the white fur of her soles and grazing his teeth along the skin as he climbed upward, the taste of salty rabbit flesh filling his maw in the process. His hot breath covered her feet as he enveloped one of her toes by putting it in his mouth and lightly sucking on it, washing his tongue around the digit and even gently grazing the gray claw it possessed. Utterly taken aback, Judy could only watch with an open muzzle, her eyes wide with amazement at her fetish being fulfilled, and it hadn't taken long until her paw travelled down to her privates and began to coax herself, her eyes lazily drooping down after fully committing to the new position and realizing Nick was actually going through with this.

Moving from toe to toe, Nick gave her a wonderful tongue bath before starting at the base of her foot again and crawling his way back up. Judy twitched, her exhalations matching the building pleasure she was feeling, and small squeals of delight shot from her like fireworks as he made sure to suck very lightly before moving on to another digit. She could feel Nick take both of her ankles and press them together in line with her head, taking his time to move that wonderful tongue across foot paw to foot paw and give each one equal amount of dedication—at this point, he could have penetrated her very easily, which, in the perfect world, would have happened…having him lick her feet paws as they were pressed together and fuck her at the same time would have been the pivotal magnum opus to this tryst; however, Judy was not yet ready for such an action, so she settled for slightly less. Ecstatic that he was doing this, she heard the sound of his smacking lips against her flesh fill the room and a loud cry of satisfaction unintentionally burst from her as his tongue wrapped around another toe. She curled them while they were in his mouth and she felt the sharp points of his teeth press against her. And then his strategy shifted. She felt the warmness of his tongue move from her feet to her calves, and then it began to snake down her thighs as he pushed either of her legs apart again, splaying her out for the best possible access to her pussy.

"Mmm…filthy bunny needs to be cleaned," he tantalized.

Judy's back arched as he dug in, his tongue once again flipping up and down against the most sensitive part of her genitals, and she reached her paws up to her own ankles and supported them so that she could remain as open as possible for her hunky vulpine. He took that opportunity to divert from his calculated strategy and dig his tongue down her hole and lap around with sloppy chomps, saliva raining on her vagina and the flesh around it with sucking and schlepping noises. His teeth clamped down against her naval as his manipulation continued, and the sight of him gorging himself with her lower body made her picture those teeth indentations against her naval staying there like an ownership tattoo, a public display that she was property of canines and canines only. Any perversion she previous felt for her unnatural feelings toward another species had been utterly destroyed at this point, never to be felt again. An abolishment of preconceived notions; free and free again. Judy closed her eyes and melted in the moment. This display of affection continued for the next twenty minutes: Nick would carefully munch on her pussy in ways that she never thought possible, and he would make sure that every single time he pressed her into a new position that she'd cum before twisting her into a new position almost as freely as one would move furniture. He would grab her legs and push them aside, every so often licking at her feet paws during the transitional period, and then he was right back at it, pleasing her with such voracity, with such dogged determination that she could not imagine ever feeling the way she was feeling with another animal. It was godlike, this creative wonder that was set before her, and with every new orgasm, she lost her sense of reality, dropping into a wonderful oasis of pink bliss like a famished, desert-wanderer stumbling across salvation. How anyone could ever want a traditional partner was a mystery to her at this point.

And it all came rushing at her in a hot, sticky mess.

Another after another after another.

Pleasing a rabbit sexually was a monumental task, but Nick Wilde was knocking it out of the park.

Nick: 0—Judy: 7 The game was a blowout—at this point, he was getting his ass handed to him.

After an additional particularly hard orgasm, Judy held onto his muzzle with her paws, a weak but necessary barrier between him gobbling her again before she could recover.

"Hah, hah, hah, hold up…hah, hold up. Wait, Nick. You damn _beast_ …" Nick's expression lost somewhat of its animal look and softened with pride.

"Need a break?" he asked.

"Y-yes…" Judy breathed out.

"Okay."

She felt him rise, standing straight up, and saw that he was still fully erect, a long drip of precum attached from his tip and trailing toward the floor. She could also see that the fur on his thighs had been matted, pressed down and darker in color from being soaked with that very same pent-up fluid, no doubt the cause being from his member bumping and resting against his own skin, crying out for someone or something to stimulate it beyond innocent presses as he had been shifting her about. Taking the water bottle that she had set on the stand next to the couch, he drank a long swig before offering it to her. She complied, feeling starved from so much vocal approval and squeals. After downing the rest of it, she set the empty bottle back on the stand and simply stared at his body while catching her breath. His reaction of slight detachment as soon as she asked for a break aroused her. It was like he was a sex-god whose lowly servant asked for a reprieve, to which he preoccupied himself until the new session would begin.

His tail swished from side to side, and she saw him take his arm and reach it behind his back, the black fur of his paws trailing up toward the middle of his forearm looking surprisingly sexy to her as he proceeded to stretch either arm, probably not even aware of the fact that he was, in a way, giving her a bit of a show right now. He was a devil in disguise. That much she knew at this point. A true silver-tongue, suave and incredibly sexy. A competitive notion manifested itself within her frame of thought, and right then and there she not only _knew_ but also _wanted_ to repay him for his marvelous performance. After all, he had just made her bust in his face eight times in what felt like a mere thirty minutes—no one has ever managed to even trickle in a league such as that—so her sudden desire to please him was not unfounded. She'd come to terms with the fact that what he had just done to her was beyond words for her at this point. It was unheard and unimaginable. But it was not simply proper consideration that caused Judy to want to crawl over and make use of her mouth like he had. No, nothing like that. The truth was that a newfound lust to make him moan and howl and growl actually enveloped her, and she realized that she legitimately found his erection ridiculously attractive, even with it being quite intimidating in size. She wanted to see if she could turn him into a begging dog, a panting mess.

Picturing that an animal such as her could possibly make a large beast like him whine and blow his huge load was a turn on that nearly made her ready for him to dive back in.

 _No,_ she thought. _That's selfish_. _He's so swollen. It's his turn._

Nick turned his head toward the ceiling while letting out a waft of air as he finished stretching his arms, and his eyes curiously opened as soon as he felt a set of soft paws rest on either of his thighs. Judy had crawled from the couch and was now sitting on it with a straight posture to her back, her ears raised in curiosity as they reached below Nick's pecs, and she very softly began rubbing the flesh on the front of his thighs, feeling the muscles beneath and how they flexed in reaction to her touch. He hadn't a voice at this moment; it was locked in his chest, so there was no query as to what Judy planned on doing, but he knew well enough that just based on the seductive look encompassing her face, she was ready to shift this game to her control. Her paws rubbing his thighs slowly moved inward against his matted fur until they were lightly squeezing his balls, her fingers rolling around each one and tugging them downward; it was a massage that caused his shaft to painfully throb with each beat of his heart, and he let out a sharp gasp, his head looking down at the rabbit below. He could hear her whisper "God, Slick, they're so full" before she went back to tugging and rolling them in her paws, feeling how plump and smooth they were in comparison to his regular fur.

Before he could think of how good this sensation felt, his teeth ground down against each other as one of her paws found its place partially around his knot—it was so big at this point, so ballooned with blood and desire to tie, that she could not grasp it fully unless she took her other paw and made a large circle with her thumb and index finger. She took both paws and began to encircle the knot, kneading it from its base to its side to its top, and what really got his blood flowing was when he could feel one paw's slender fingers wrap around his shaft. He was now being grasped by his knot and shaft simultaneously, a wonderful combination that was made even more perfect when she slowly, deliberately, began milking his dick, jerking him in a firm grasp that caused his chest to heave up and down with heavy breaths. The sound of his precum slopping in her paw and against his own soaked penis coincided with every jerk she gave him; a loud, wet, messy sound that was just as wonderful in feeling as it was to the ears. He'd had plenty of time to build up a decent amount of fluids, and right now his soaked member acted as an amazing lubricant for Judy's paws. The fingers around his knot suddenly dropped and began to roll his balls around while continuing to milk him.

"Ah!" Nick sharply cried out, his maw opening in pure, radiant bliss. He looked down, both of his eyes nearly closed, and saw that Judy had a devious look on her face.

Without a word, her jerking stopped, and she rose from the couch, grabbing ahold of the backside of his knot. The connective flesh behind the base of the bulbous orb was in between her fingers, giving her complete control of the entire organ, so she turned her body, looking back sexily at him and cooed "C'mon, boy" like one would talk to a dog as she yanked on it. Nick's ears pinned back, and his tongue hung from his mouth while he played ball, literally letting this little rabbit guide him around the apartment by his erect shaft. A long, deep moan rose from his chest as his legs moved with her guidance, her paw rolling around the slick orb to tease him. He felt his tail swish madly from side to side as if it didn't know how to react to what was happening. It was such a hot move for her to conduct, to be guiding him like this, and Nick's mind was utterly clouded, causing him to heave breaths as she led him into the bedroom, occasionally looking back and shooting him seductive glances.

When they entered the door to her bedroom, as if to drive the point home, she let her paw slide from the root of his cock to the tapered tip, giving him a steady and hard jerk before bringing her fingers back to their original starting point, locking him in her grasp. Nick was sent into another uncontrollable fit of pants; his tongue leapt in small bounces and drool fell from his maw and onto his chest. A low growl formed in his throat as his teeth flared. It made her so hot to think of having this type of control over him, turning him into nothing more than a wanting dog at her whim; although, it was no surprise either: the canine part of his brain had been only reacting to the succumbing nature of being tamed, a kind of ancient feedback developed through the domestication of the animal kingdom. It was willing to do anything at this point to get off, so it forced Nick to adhere to any stimulation. Secretly, Judy so desperately wished she had a leash at this point—the possibilities were endless, the scenarios hotter with each new idea that fumbled in her head, and she made a mental note to buy one in the upcoming week.

Having moved from her old, rickety apartment, Judy's new bed was definitely much larger, easily able to accommodate Nick's size, and was exceptionally fluffy. The backs of Nick's legs were pressed against the bed cushion as Judy pushed him onto the small comforter, the sound of a small creak groaning out as his weight sunk into the sheets and pushed aside a plethora of plushies; little rabbits with blue ZPD shirts of different colors and sizes tumbled off to the side and the slight squeak of Judy's "secret" stuffed fox doll hidden toward the back sounded off. The billowy toy had a strange likeness to Nick, even possessing what looked like a small tie around its neck, which Nick would have found more amusing had he not been so enraptured with pre-blowjob (he hoped) giddiness.

Judy set one of her legs up on the bed, her thigh close to his testicles, and grabbed ahold of his hard knot with both hands. She massaged around it at a faster pace now, making sure to every so often rub his tip to catch more of the precum leaking from it and then bring her sticky hand down, back to work.

"Ahhhhh…" Nick moaned out, his muzzle turning to the ceiling. "Carrots, you're—"

"Lie back," she softly interrupted, pushing against his abs.

Without missing a beat, he scooted his body further on the bed, his back now resting against a mound of pillows so that he could get a good view of whatever Judy planned on doing.

"Are you gonna' be a good boy?"

Nick's eyes slightly widened. He looked to see her with a partial smile on her face. "Y-yes," he moaned out, a begging quality to his tone. "Yes, I will…I promise…" Judy was now squeezing him harder, rubbing up and down his length in circular motions. It felt so fucking good to him that he thought he would burst right then and there. He felt her stop and couldn't help but lower his brows in mediocre disapproval.

Her expression was coy yet impish.

"Then bark for me."

"W-what?"

"You heard me. Be a good boy."

"Ahhhh…" Nick moaned out, desperate for her to continue.

"If you be a good boy and bark for me, I'll use my mouth." Judy let her tongue hang from her mouth and squeezed him hard while jerking upward, her paw sliding from the top of his knot to a thick portion of his shaft and then back down.

"Ohhhhh…" Nick turned his head to the ceiling again. "Fffffffuck…"

"C'mon. Bark for me, baby."

"O-okay, okay…"

"C'mon, big boy. Do it."

From somewhere deep in his chest, a sound reserved for either shock or complete anger morphed itself into something that it normally wasn't; it started out like a low growl rumbling in a steady, dynamic pace, something an individual would hear an animal conduct if feeling threatened, but from that gravelly sound burst forth a commanding bark that seemed to echo slightly in the small room, bouncing off the walls and ricocheting out to the kitchen. It may have sounded like a scuffle of some kind was occurring if one stood outside of the apartment, but neither animal seemed to care, especially Nick considering he felt compelled enough to let off another bark that was just as equally efficacious. Spittle flew from his maw and a light drool was tracking its way to the sheets as his teeth flared with the loud sound screaming from his maw.

Judy's own mouth was open as she stared up at him, partially lost in a wave of envisioning eroticism as she saw this creature obey her command so that he might be pleased, and please him she would—unlike any other vixen. That was what she wanted. She wanted to make him burst beyond what his own kind could do. She wanted to make him loathe the thought of mating, of _breeding_ , with anything other than her. Leaning forward, Judy let her lips wrap around the backside of his hard knot as her tongue gave him a long lick at a diagonal angle, and this was accompanied by another press of her lips against the same spot. She literally kissed the orb, smooching and smacking sounds dancing with her motions, and her lips and tongue slid around the side of his knot and then up to his shaft where she let her saliva bathe him in a sensation that caused his eyes to close and his muzzle to jut upward.

Nick was leaning on either elbow and looked like a panting mess right now.

But Judy didn't stop there.

The salty taste of his member was driving her crazy, and she only wanted more. Her soft exploration soon became more frantic, messier even. Long strands of saliva were now coating his cock, trailing from the lowest point of his shaft to Judy's mouth, which was now wrapped around the tip of his dick and engulfing several inches. She began lightly bobbing her head up and down, her moans acting as a vibrating stimulant as she twirled her tongue in a circular motion while trying to keep his penis steady through aid of holding onto the same bit of flesh she'd held onto while guiding him in the room. Her other paw explored his naval and then sensually began rubbing his flexing abs. With each new bob of her head, a light gagging sound could be heard as saliva bubbled and dripped down his twitching shaft to his knot and then to the fur around it, and Judy soon became determined to try and reach the lowest possible point she could, perhaps even deepthroat him to where her lips were pressed against the area where his shaft met his knot. It would be very hard work, probably not possible at this point, but she was willing to give it a try without him even asking. She bobbed down hard, getting half of his member in her throat before rising back up, her lips making a popping sound around his dick as she took it from her mouth to give herself some breathing room. Long strings of saliva trailed from the red twitching rod to her muzzle, and she looked wonderfully dirty, _slutty_ even.

Bringing her mouth forward, she began to rub her lips and tongue along the sides of his penis, washing it in the splattered and smutty mess she was making, and then her paws began to jerk up and down his shaft in hard, long strokes. She lovingly kissed along his shaft until she reached the top again, to which she proceeded to engulf him once more, bobbing up and down with more determination. Her paw that had been exploring his abs were now massaging his balls.

"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Nick let out a series of hard, sharp moans before meshing back into his panting fit. His paws clutched at Judy's sheets, and his verbal approval only made her feel more arrogant.

She was actually quite surprised with herself.

Her experience with canine blowjobs was nearly nonexistent, save for the one and only time she secretly bought from a fox-shaped dildo, which was carefully hidden away in a drawer in her room at this very moment. It had been an occasion of weakness for her, the desire to buy a sex toy, but one she could not ignore. While at work, Nick had teased her all the previous day with his body— unintentionally on his part, although some moments might be up for debate— and in her vulnerability, she had no choice but to scratch the itch that had been invading her. It was a bunny's itch, after all; powerfully potent and unimaginably relentless. After arriving home, she'd tossed her keys aside and immediately conducted research as to how she might obtain something that was more "lifelike" in its design. And she found it. The "Fox Breeder" had been its name.

It was large yet slender. The order had been placed and she could recall the moment the box had been opened two weeks after—the size and shape had overwhelmed her. Seeing it on screen was not anything compared to seeing it in person, and if the advertisement was accurate (it claimed the mold was 100% lifelike in size and proportion) she feared the moment it would attempt to fill her, or better yet, feared the moment the _real_ thing would be in her presence. Several masturbation sessions had her practicing fellatio on it, and she felt that she would simply not be a good enough partner to conduct a proper blowjob on a canine. In a way, she felt useless. How naive she had been though—at this point in time, as she rested on the edge of the bed slopping over Nick's huge dick, she seemed anything but inexperienced and fearful. Nick's own moans were a verification of that.

She popped his dick from her mouth and lightly stroked up and down it. "You like this?"

"Ahhhh-huh," Nick moaned out a mixed verbal salad of affirmation.

"You want me to keep going?"

"Y-yea…"

"Then bark for me."

Without even thinking, Nick let loose another loud bark.

Judy felt her own moan leave her mouth, closing her eyes for a second as she lightly fiddled with her genitalia. It was like he was trained. A trained dog. She could have cum very easily at that moment. "Good boy," she breathed out.

Still stroking him, she turned her muzzle down to his testicles. Her mouth, already well lubricated and messy, found it easy to engulf one of his balls, licking and kissing the scrotum, and the powerful taste of salt only made her saliva glands produce more. Thinking back on how Nick had been so dominant with her, she took a moment to explore a very canine quality—her auxiliary incisors lightly clamped down on one of his balls and then grazed over the flesh like she was teasing it. She let her tongue run along the flesh, making kissing noises while grinding down slightly harder with her teeth. Nick's approval rang out with a long dog-like whine. She moved onto the other one, giving it the same treatment. She was very animalistic at this point, very feral in mindset, and all reservations for appearing too promiscuous seemed to be gone at this point, so the curious thought as to how big of a wad he would fire off entered her mind— the volume, the consistency, the taste. His balls looked swollen with desire to be released.

Would he pulse?

How many strands would shoot into the air?

Would he bark like he'd been doing as per her request?

These were questions that she urgently wanted answers to, and to get the answer the quickest, she would have to work overtime. Scooting her body forward more, the bed lightly squeaked as she brought her weight above Nick's groin and began to give his hardon another tongue bath, but this time around was frantic, quick, and she made sure that it was exceptionally sloppy, spitting and drooling over him before popping that wonderful organ in her mouth. Her ears pinned back as she let loose a barrage of deep bobs, the sound of her gag reflex being stimulated with each thrust of her mouth. That didn't stop her though. She just pressed forward, milking him with her mouth while simultaneously massaging his knot in hard circular strokes with both of her paws. She felt his thighs tense against her elbows and then soften and then tense again. His panting had become louder, too. And much quicker. He was close. _Very_ close. Continuing to give him the best blowjob he's ever received, she managed to gobble up what felt like six inches of his shaft, gag, and then go back to her frenzying motions before Nick gave her a decent warning.

"I'm gonna'—Carrots, I'm gonna' cum!" He barely managed to squeeze his sentence out before going back into his sharp breaths.

Not caring, Judy didn't bother withholding her motions in slightest, and it took only five more seconds of sucking before she heard Nick let loose the loudest moan she's heard yet, but what made it even sexier was the fact that it morphed into a gravely growling session that matched the primal and very predatorial musk that began to fill her mouth as he nutted a load so long overdue that his claws dug into Judy's sheets, slightly tearing portions of the cloth. It was a harsh, salty taste, that began pulsing in her mouth; she could feel it shooting from his tip and against her tongue with every pulse of his cock and light thrust of his hips as his mating instincts completely took over. It was so warm and voluminous, too— thick strands of hot fox seed designed for heavy breeding, and it immediately made her feel a sensation of lightheadedness at coming into contact with the most intimate part of an enemy species; the deepest and most vital essence that was solely responsible for the society in which they inhabited. Something that had nothing to do with her kind. A fox and a rabbit: it was a connection that was never meant to be. And she fucking loved it. But it proved to be too much, the sheer amount of semen that flowed into her mouth, and she had no choice but to withdraw from his penis and stick to pumping up and down, a large, thick wad bursting from his tip and firing straight across her face, causing her to close her left eye due to the string seemingly magnetizing to her. She felt its heat radiate on her face as she let out a gasp, stands of cum falling from her mouth while Nick let off two more large threads before finally subsiding into smaller bursts.

His growling was dying down and he was left moaning with each breath, his slick penis throbbing in Judy's paw. He lay there for a moment, catching his breath, attempting to traverse back into reality.

On Judy's end, it was quite the sight to see, this large fox, his thighs matted with freshly produced jizz, her own chest sticky and smelling of musk; all of this hit her really hard, and she seemed to be taken aback, almost as if unsure with what she had just done. It took a moment for her to regain her mind again, but when she did, she saw Nick leaning up higher against his elbows, the afterglow of his orgasm still on his face, but he also possessed a small grin.

He was examining Judy, taking it all in like a work of art.

"Carrots, you're a mess."

"Huh?" Judy put a paw up to her mouth and realized how dirty she must look.

Her left eye was still closed, and she could feel the warmth of the strand of fox cum resting on top of her lid.

Unsure what to do, Judy remained in the same spot. But then she could feel the bed shift, and Nick rose, scooping her up in his arms.

"N-Nick!" she gasped.

"C'mon, filthy bunny. Now we really _do_ need to get you cleaned." Padding into the bathroom, his erection still at full staff, Nick closed the door with his foot paw and then maneuvered Judy as he turned on the shower, letting the water flow for a moment until it reached a moderately warm degree. Steam floated and wiggled in the air like apparitions transcending through the ceiling, and the coziness of the tiny room only acted as a catalyst for the euphoria pumping through both animals. Silence was mostly present during that time, and it was a loud silence; it was a kind of silence that Judy attempted to experience while meditating in the morning…a beautiful, appeased lack of distractions. And it was not unwanted. It was clearly something both animals appreciated.

In a sense, Judy actually felt a butterfly-esque warmth in the pit of her stomach at hearing nothing spoken between the two, a complete and mutual aftereffect causing a stirring feeling of safety to overwhelm her while being cradled in Nick's strong arms. Her knight in fuzzy armor, as he had put it. That could not have been truer.

Stepping in to the water, Nick's height extended well beyond the shower door, and he closed it and set Judy down, letting her wash her face and body off as he allowed the warm pellets to hit his fur. He closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, unsure that what had happened actually happened. This all could very well be a wonderful, fantastic, amazing, drop-dead-and-hope-it-happens-again dream that would burst like a bubble being poked when his alarm sounded off, leaving him in his own bed and with a raging erection and far away from the bunny he had made out with the previous night. He put his paw to his muzzle and quickly mushed it around his face, partially washing himself and partially checking to see if he would wake up.

But he didn't.

He didn't wake up.

Here he was with a tiny, naked rabbit cleaning herself off.

Cleaning off what he had just produced.

Unable to stop himself, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, his large paws clasping over her sides. His erection was subsiding, only being half alive, and it pressed against the small of Judy's back, but she didn't seem to mind.

He heard her let out a long, content sigh as both of her ears drooped in comfort.

"So much for the 'let's-take-it-slow' approach," Nick said.

Judy snickered. "Yea," she said dreamily, "I…I thought that too. But…honestly, I needed this to happen."

"Me too…"

The two just floated in the moment, either of their eyes closed as the water washed away their messy bodies. Nick could feel her steady heartbeat against his arms.

"H-how…" Judy hesitated, causing Nick's ears to softly perk up.

"Huh?"

"How…did you get so good at that?"

"At what?"

"You _know_ …" Judy trailed off and then bashfully whispered the next part. "At… at using that tongue."

Nick felt his cheeks actually flush. Luckily, Judy was still wrapped in his arms and facing the other way; otherwise, she may have caught him in a moment of vulnerability.

"Uhhh…I don't know. I guess…I just know how to work the female body?"

"Psh! _Please_. You _definitely_ have… _experience_ …"

Nick's ears stuck straight up at hearing how Judy worded the last part. She almost sounded…distraught? Fearful? Jealous? There was something in her tone that didn't settle right with Nick, and he cocked his head to the side as the gears in his head began turning. "Well…I mean, you already know that was my _first_ time, Carrots...but…well, I'm assuming neither was that ridiculously amazing blowjob you gave me." He heard Judy lightly giggle in a sheepish manner.

She brought her paw to her mouth and lightly bit down on the side of her finger. "Actually…it kind of was. At least for something that size."

"You fooled me. That could have been on the latest and greatest interspecies porn flicks. We could've uploaded it and called it _The Rabbit Devours the Todd_." He felt a light slap against his arm.

"Shut up," she laughed.

"I'm serious. That was the best head I've ever gotten."

"Heh. Thanks…" Judy felt an immense sense of pride swell in her at the idea that she, a lowly prey species, could possibly please a predator more than his own kind.

"Why do you ask though? About me?" Nick queried.

Judy remained quiet for a moment. "I don't know," she said in a defeated tone. "I was just curious, I guess."

Nick closed one eye, fairly certain he understood where she was coming from.

He gripped her slightly harder as he made his point.

"If there's any concern about my past, Carrots, I'll have you know, I've never in all my life wanted to please someone as much as I hoped I did for you. All those others, the one's before you, don't mean a _goddamn_ thing in comparison to how I feel right now. In fact, it's like they didn't exist." A brief span of silence filled the shower until he could feel Judy twirl around in his arms so that she was facing him. Her eyes seemed to be filled with hope.

"Do you mean that?" Judy asked in a hushed voice.

"Of course, I do…I'd never tell you something like that if I didn't mean it. Don't you trust me?"

"I do. I just…I just wanted to make sure."

Nick gazed deeply into her eyes then leaned down and gave her a long, tender kiss. He didn't even care that he could still taste the slight saltiness of his own essence on her tongue. After pulling away, he could feel her wrap him in an embrace, her head resting against his stomach and her arms hugging beneath his buttocks. His own paws were rubbing against her lower back.

"I…" Nick stopped, careful to place his words, "I don't want to be too quick in assuming what all this is. I don't want to jump in headfirst and carelessly say that I love you, but…I've never felt _this_ way about anyone before…ever…I don't even know what to call it yet. Maybe we'll get at that point. All I know is that I don't want it, this, to end." He could feel Judy shiver against him, even under the heat of the water, and he looked down to see her eyes slightly glazed over.

"I feel the same way," she whispered. She breathed deeply, attempting to calm her emotions before looking up and Nick to see a small smirk on his face. "Don't you _dare_ say it…" she warned, but there was a bit of playfulness in her voice too.

"I don't have to. Doesn't change the truth."

The two smiled, embracing each other for a while longer, letting the sprinkling water droplets keep them warm and emotionally connected, and then Nick lightly unclasped her, reaching over to the marble shelf where a supply of shower necessities rested: fur conditioner, heavy-duty shampoo, a waterproof trimmer, and a claw cuticle scrubber. He grabbed the shampoo and sprayed a large glob in his paw, which he then proceeded to rub against Judy's back and sides and shoulders, an act that she found incredibly soothing and romantic, so much so that she let loose a long and heavy sigh of appreciation. She merely stood in place, statuesque and happy, as Nick continued to wash her, her eyes closed and her paws lightly rubbing against his thighs during the process, and she bit her lip when his strong fingers grabbed ahold of either of her butt cheeks, clearly copping a feel as well as cleaning at the same time. Feeling monumentally satisfied, she opened her eyes so that she could transfer some of the suds on her fur to Nick's thighs, and so she proceeded to wash his legs, scrubbing the fur with her claws before moving to his abs and rubbing up and down softly, studying, taking in every inch of him as to remember whenever he wasn't around.

Nick slowed down his cleaning of her, closing his own eyes and giving her a chance to do what she wanted. So, her response was to move behind him and soak his tail in froth. It looked very handsome to her, the way the fur underneath broke down to large spikes from being soaked in liquid, and it seemed to raise itself higher to allow her better access at cleaning it. She squeezed her hands around it, washing up and down in steady strokes. A particularly hard squeeze caused Nick to let out a small yip, and Judy recoiled in slight fear at the unexpected sound.

"Sorry," she said.

"That's okay," Nick chuckled. "It has a mind of its own sometimes."

"That reminds me of something," she said, smiling as she went back to washing his tail.

"What?"

"Y-you…" she stopped scrubbing for a moment. "You were so hot, acting like a dog."

Nick guffawed. "You liked that, huh?"

"Yea…"

"Well, maybe we ought to get a leash."

Judy felt her heart skip a beat and her eyes widen. Had he been reading her mind? Was he telepathic as well as a devil in disguise? "Really?"

"Sure. A nice one with a black collar. And a bowl, too."

Judy bit her lip, almost feeling a second wave of lust coming on. "Okay," she breathed out. She moved from his tail back to the front of him and saw that he had a huge, teeth-filled smile drawn across his face.

"I have to say," he tittered. "I would have _never_ guessed, even in my wildest dreams, that you were such a little sexual deviant, Ms. Hopps."

Judy slapped at his paws. "Am _not_!"

"Oh, _are_ too! There's no denying that now, Carrots. It's aaaalllll in the open! But I have to know, it's killing me: is that a 'rabbit' thing or a 'you' thing?"

"I...I don't know," she said helplessly.

"Judging by how unique some of your quirks are, I would probably guess it's a 'you' thing."

"Well…maybe, but whatever."

"Hey, like I said earlier: I am enamored by that side of you. It's drop-dead-sexy." Nick's voice dropped to a sensual growl. "I'm hoping there's more to it."

Taking in Nick's comment, Judy realized how foolish it was for her to be embarrassed with her sexual tastes; she had an absolute stud standing in front of her, loving every bit of strangeness that leaked from her, unintentionally or not.

Judy seductively wrapped her arms around his buttocks again and pressed her breasts against his sheath while looking up at him. "That's something you'll just have to find out," she said.

"And I will. Gladly."

Giggling, she gave his stomach a kiss before looking back up at him. "Do…do you want to stay over?"

"Like the night?"

"Yea."

"Yes! Of course, I do! I have to get some stuff from my apartment first, but after I do that, I could come back."

Judy's tail started wiggling back and forth, a reaction Nick immediately found adorable. "Kay, you—me—tonight—goodie!" Judy seemed to hop as she turned her body and began to finish washing herself, a new spring to her step and motions.

Nick could feel his heart melting more and more. It dropped into his stomach and mixed in a wonderful acidy warmness. If this wasn't love, he couldn't wait to find out what the real thing felt like.

Sitting at her kitchen table, Judy pinched an herbal tea bag in between her fingers and rapidly flipped it, smacking the innards apart as she set her iPad up on its stand in preparation for conversing with her mom via FaceTime. She was dressed in a very simple blue shirt with a carrot insignia in the middle of it, and below that, she had nothing on but a pair of pink panties hugging her behind.

The idea of completely lounging around overtook her sense of decency, plus it didn't seem too off putting considering that her mom would see nothing but her daughter from the chest up—in actuality, there was the tiniest bit of Judy's mind that wanted Nick to see her half-naked when he entered the apartment. Perhaps then they could engage in round two. Judy pressed the dial button on her iPad and dipped the tea bag in the steaming cup of water, swooshing it around as she thought of how completely smitten she was at this point. After exiting the shower and engaging in a short but highly arousing make-out session with a dripping wet fox, Nick had dried himself and quickly got dressed before setting off to gather some overnight materials at his apartment while Judy noticed that her phone had several unread text-messages on it. Her mom had been trying to contact her.

Confident with herself now, Judy felt no reason to not see her mom face to face. Talking with her might not be so much of a chore as long as she played her cards right. Although, there was still the little matter of how overjoyed she felt right now; it was dangerously apparent on her face. It was a reflection of her thoughts. She thought of nothing but foxes. Big, beautiful, buff foxes. But not just any foxes—Nick Wilde. It was like a contagion now, a spreading virus, whereas before it seemed like a minor sickness, something that would eventually run its course and expel from her system. How foolish of a thought that had been. Truth be told, as soon as Nick had left, she'd already missed him.

The dial tone reached its destination and Bonnie's voice woke Judy from her daydreams.

" _Bun_ -bun!" Bonnie cheered. " _Hey!_ How's it going?"

"Hi, mom! Good!" Judy adjusted the strap of her athletic bra, pulling it up closer to her shoulder, before placing her paw on her chin.

"I tried calling you earlier," Bonnie started, "but I got no answer."

Judy tried to not let her smile subside for fear of Bonnie picking up on anything unusual. Cloaking any outward jubilance would be mightily hard, but she had to do it for sake of being found out. "Yea…sorry. I was busy."

"Well, now that I've got you, I wanted to give you some news."

"Oh? What's up?"

"So, Nate will be coming back from his tour the fifth of next month and we're all having a big welcoming party for him at the burrow."

"He's coming back?!" An exciting tone grappled her question.

"Yes! Isn't that wonderful? We just found out. He'll be so excited to be back. The last video we talked to each other he seemed really homesick."

"That's awesome!"

"I know! I just wanted to make sure you could be there. It's been a while since you've been back home, so I figured it would be a good chance for all of us to catch up!"

"Yes, I'll totally be there! I can't wait!"

"Great!" Bonnie seemed to turn her head, and Judy could hear a brief but powerful scolding tone to her voice before turning back to the camera. "Sorry… your brother learned the wonderful skill of _coloring_ and is trying to make friends with the walls. He's been doing that for the past couple hours. I have to watch him like a hawk."

"Which one? Derek or Lucas?"

"Lucas, of course."

"Of course," Judy giggled.

There was a brief moment of silence as Judy took a small sip of her tea.

"So," Judy started, "how's Nate been?"

"He's…" Bonnie trailed off. "It's taken a toll on him, I think. I'm pretty sure he's seen some things that…well, that didn't settle with him."

Judy's ears slowly dipped down. "Oh, no," she said.

"Yea. He seemed to be breaking down when we talked. It was…it was sad…I didn't like seeing my son like that…" Bonnie's eyes seemed to be glistening over, but she quickly wiped underneath them.

"Awww, mom. You're gonna' make _me_ cry." Judy fanned herself with her paws as to not get overly emotional, thinking for a moment how Nick would make some kind of bunny stereotype at this juncture in time like he'd implied in the shower.

"I'm sorry, honey," Bonnie chuckled, "I didn't mean to call and get everything glum. I actually originally called to see how things went yesterday. How was the concert?"

Judy felt her heart flutter at the question. Trying to place her words carefully, she said, "It was _so_ much fun! _Best_ concert I've ever been to. The music was great! The light show was amazing. Also, we met some really cool animals, Bentley and Christina. Christina's a rabbit and Bentley is a hyena. They work at the Rainforest District. We really hit it off with them!"

"That's _great_!"

"Yea…" Judy leaned on her paw, gleaming with joy, mostly because she was beginning to recall everything that had transpired between her and Nick last night. The perfection of the moment seeped through and made itself quite known on her face.

Bonnie stopped, her eyes seeming to study Judy. Her ability to read her daughter was a thing of legend, and her nose seemed to twitch slightly at whatever contemplations were running through her mind. The next question caused Judy's heart to skip a beat.

"Alright, Bun-bun, what's up? Spill the beans."

"Huh?"

"I know you better than any of your siblings. You can't hide it from me. What's the story?"

"What do you mean?"

"You just seem…happy. Like, _really_ happy."

Judy hesitated. "Do I?"

"Well, not that you aren't ever, but, honey, you look like you're positively _glowing_ right now! I haven't seen you this happy since your recognition in the police force, and even that didn't look like you are right now. That must have been one _heck_ uva' concert!"

Realizing it was a lost cause to lie too much, Judy broke. She clamped down on her finger's claws with her auxiliary incisors and with a bashful smile spoke a partial truth. "I…mom, Something wonderful happened last night."

Bonnie's face shifted to sly curiosity, a devious smile spreading across her face. " _Ohhh_ …I _knew_ there was something. Okay, c'mon you can't stop there, Bun- Bun. _Details_ , details!"

Judy could feel her temples pounding with slight fear. She was in no way ready to express the full truth to her mother, but perhaps she could confess without actually confessing. If she managed to manipulate her words well enough, manipulate the way in which she could construct her answers, she might very well be able to pull this off. Taking a breath, she readied herself.

"Well, I…I met someone. He's…he's _so_ funny. Like, the funniest animal I've ever met. He just… makes me want to be around him more. He was so smooth with how he talked to me, and he seemed genuine. And kind." Judy paused for a moment. "He's super kind and really polite. Considerate, too. It's…like a fantasy kind of. I didn't know someone like that could exist."

"Wow. What a gentlemammal," Bonnie said with a cocky smile. She put a paw on her chin, mimicking Judy's position. "Sounds like quite the guy…what else?"

"Umm. He's…sooooo handsome, too. He's got such a beautiful fur coat and perfect claws and is, well, really hunky."

"A charmer _and_ a looker? What a find…"

"I know," Judy said dreamily.

"What's his name?" "Nicholas." It was as if the sound of a record player screeching broke Judy's train of thought.

She could feel her heart sink all the way to her feet. The response had just flung from her mouth without aid of a filter—the truth, it seemed, was wanting to make itself known more than she had anticipated, an almost dormant entity attempting to break free from its confines, but the reality of the situation rested on the fact that she was not ready for a complete confession. She simply wasn't.

She could only hope that the look on her face did not give away the inner turmoil she was currently feeling caused by her big mouth.

Her eyes slowly looked toward the screen to see the gears turning in Bonnie's head. Did she know? Is this the end? Incoming parental rejection? An outcast? "Oh…I see. L-like your partner? Like Nick? Nick Wilde?"

"Yea," Judy forced out a lame chuckle, "like Nick. Isn't that a weird _coincidence_?"

"Yes. That is…"

 _Cheese and crackers,_ she thought. _Cheese—and—crackers. Dumb bunny! Stupid bunny! Fucking stupid dumb bunny!_

Bonnie's face softened and she seemed to alter back to the original curiosity displayed before the revelation of the mystery animal's name. This caused Judy to feel a slight wave of relief, although the tension in her shoulders needed suppression. On edge, she waited for her mother's next question.

"Well, I think that's simply wonderful! So, how did you meet him? And what does your Nick think of him?"

Judy's brain seized up as it tried to formulate a response. "He…he was seated next to us, actually. Nick…well, Nick's going to wait and see how things play out before deciding what he thinks."

"My, my…this is sounding more and more like an old cheesy romance flick by the second!"

Judy giggled. " _Hey_ , shut up!" Tangling her ear in her paw, she looked to the side bashfully before continuing. "It…well…" she cleared her throat, "Now that you mention it, I guess it does."

"No, honey, I'm _really_ happy for you. If this guy can make you look the way you do now, I think he's quite special."

"Yea. That was my thought too…"

"So…are you going out with him?"

"I think so. I hope so…eventually." The last part of Judy's sentence had sounded more like a question than anything.

"You don't sound too sure of yourself. Have you talked with him since the concert?"

"Yea, we've texted back and forth." _And you just sucked him dry_ , her mind whispered to herself. She shook that thought off.

"Well, if he knows what's good for him, he'll make the first move…"

Judy thought back to Nick pressing her against the wall outside the concert. "I'm sure he will."

"If you guys do go out, just remember to be yourself. Don't seem desperate. Males can pick up on that easily."

" _Okaaay_ , Mom!" Judy's paw fell from her ear and onto the table.

"Honey, I'm still your mother. You'll be 50 and I'll still be pestering you."

"I know. It's just kind of… _weird_ getting relationship advice from my mom."

"Take it or leave it, Bun-Bun. I'm not forcing you to do anything."

"Okay." Judy let out a breath. She looked at her mother to see a small smile spread across her face. Her love came rushing in at understanding where she was coming from. She rested her chin back on her paw before saying, "Thanks, Mom."

"No problem, honey. Now, I gotta' get going. Your brother is at it again. We'll talk later. Love you!"

"Love you too!" The screen went black and Judy grabbed both of her ears in frustration. She lightly bumped her head against the table several times and then reached for her cellphone.

Frantically, she began texting Nick: **Carrots:** I totally almost blew it and confessed to my mom that you and I are… well…whatever it is we are right now.

 **Slick Nick:** I think it's safe to say "relationship," Fluff. But, what!? And how!?

 **Carrots:** She just saw something in my face and asked about the concert, and before I knew it, I was saying I "met" someone.

 **Slick Nick:** lol. Carrots, Carrots, Carrots…you would do that.

 **Carrots:** That's not even the worst part. I said the guy's name was Nicholas.

 **Slick Nick:** WHAT!?

 **Carrots:** I'm sorry…

 **Slick Nick:** So…wait, like what did she do? Did she figure it out?

 **Carrots:** I don't think so, but it's always so hard to tell. She's awfully perceptive. Like, ninja-Jedi style. I think I did a good enough job of being vague.

 **Slick Nick:** Jeez, Carrots. You need to be more careful. I mean, personally, I have no problem with them knowing, but I don't want your relationship jeopardized because of your big, beautiful mouth.

 **Carrots:** Lol. Thanks…I think.

 **Slick Nick:** Everything will be fine. I wouldn't worry about it.

 **Carrots:** K. If you say so. So, where are you?

 **Slick Nick:** I'm gonna' be there in a bit. Caught up in something atm. Mrs. Dickenson is bugging me about moving a fridge. Fun, fun. You need anything?

 **Carrots:** Just you…hurry up!

 **Slick Nick:** Oooh…demanding little bunny. Me likey.

 **Carrots:** Yea, and when you get here, I'll be even more demanding by traipsing you around my apartment again by your "leash", if you know what I mean.

 **Slick Nick:** lol. I do know what you mean, and I can't wait. Seriously…

 **Carrots:** K. See you soon, Dirty Fox.

Stopping in his tracks and smiling, Nick knew exactly what to send back, and thus, the perfect new nickname for each other was born:

 **Slick Nick:** Kay, Filthy Bunny.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: A Glimpse of the Inner Darkness

It took all of Nick's self-control not to take off towards Judy's apartment on all fours like a primal fox. Knowing that his bunny was waiting anxiously for his return was like the most powerful opiate he'd ever experienced. Nick loved the high it gave him, but at the same time he hated that it reminded him of the lowest points of his life. There had been a time when he and Finn had worked as couriers for drug cartels, being paid in product. He had been addicted to far too many narcotics in his past, but he was proud to say he's been clean for just over a decade. Getting clean had been a long, hard, and painful process, but he'd done it because he hadn't wanted to end up one of those nameless bodies found in an alleyway by a dumpster.

Stopping at the final intersection between him and his destination, waiting for the crosswalk light to give him the go ahead, Nick felt a droplet of water strike his nose. Tilting his head back, he saw that, for once, the weather forecast had actually been right. The cloud coverage blanketed the sky, signifying that a storm would soon hit the city. Sighing, Nick looked at the crosswalk light impatiently. 'It was a night like tonight' Nick thought to himself as that memory from so long ago came to the forefront of his mind. Flashes of that night's events played within his head like an old film reel.

The light changed, and Nick took off across the street, making a beeline for Judy's apartment complex. He entered the building just in time for the rain to begin. Looking out at the dreariness of the world, Nick found his mind wandering. The sound of a throat clearing next to him drew his attention. Turning around, Nick found himself staring at the last mammal he expected to see: his old buddy Finn. "Hey, Finn."

"Wilde." Finn greeted in reply. "Mind telling me wha' ya doing here." Folding his paws over his chest, Finn gave his old hustling partner a look over. "Ya just here to get outta the rain? Or ya here to visit ya bun?"

Nick gave the fennec a small grin. "Both. I just wanted to watch the rain for a bit." He didn't have to explain why. Finn was one of only two animals that was aware of the reason he did that on occasion. They had been partners in crime for years and you didn't stay that way without learning a little about who you worked with. "What are you doing here, Finn? Visiting someone?"

"Nah, I got a job here as the super for the building." Finn answered, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. "Thanks to ya bun, no less. She put in a good word for me with the buildings owner." Taking a puff, he said, "She brings me food every now and again, saying I shouldn't only eat microwavable dinners. I don't have the heart to tell her she can't cook for shit." This brought out a chuckle from the red fox tod. "Did you finally tell her?"

Cocking his head to the side, Nick asked, "Tell her what? That I love her? Yes, I did." Judging by the expression on the diminutive fox's muzzle, that wasn't what he meant. Sighing, Nick rubbed the back of his next as he looked at the world outside the glass of the door. "It isn't just something one can tell somebody, Finn." He wanted nothing more than to tell Judy what it was that he and Finn were discussing, but it was something that had taken Nick years to come to accept about himself. Lowering his paw to his side, Nick whispered, "What if she feels frightened, disgusted, or comes to loathe me?"

Finn rolled his eyes. "For the love of…I'm not telling you to just divulge every one of your secrets to her at once. I'm just asking if you've told her." Cigarette on the verge of being finished, Finn snuffed and flicked it into a special wastebasket designed for them. "But I need to remind you that you can't always outrun your past. Eventually, it will catch up to you." Walking away, he called back, "If you ever want to grab a drink, my door's open."

Watching Finn walk away, Nick wrapped his arms around himself. 'It'd be so easy to just simply tell her, but I'm scared of what she'll think.' Nick watched the rainfall for a little while longer before making his way to Judy's apartment. Knocking on the door, Nick waited to be let in. He could hear the shuffling of hindpaws beyond it and Nick couldn't help wondering what she'd been doing while she waited for him.

Judy opened the door to let Nick inside. After he had only taken one step across the threshold, she grabbed his shirt and hauled him into a deep kiss. She heard him kick the door closed behind them as he lifted her and carried her to the couch. They waged a tongue war with one another, vying for supremacy. Judy could hear Nick's heart pounding in his chest as adrenaline coursed through his veins. "You're wearing far too much clothing, Slick." she whispered after pulling away just enough to do so.

Wasting no time, Nick merely ripped his shirt off, not willing to break the kiss. He groaned into as Judy raked her claws down the front of his chest down to his abs, almost as if inspecting him. Nick separated from the kiss and pressed his nose to the crook of her neck as Judy continued using her paws to explore his body. He was panting lightly, his breath rippling through her soft, delicate fur. Feeling her legs encircle his waist, Nick looked up to gaze into her lustful eyes. Slowly, almost ominously, he opened his maw and captured her neck with his fangs, pressing down just enough to leave a mark.

The sensation sent Judy over the edge, causing her to climax. As she had waited for him, Judy had taken the time to fantasize various scenarios that she wanted to try. That had been one of them, to feel his fangs against her throat, pressing down, leaving indentations, proof that she was his. It wasn't a mating bite, nor was it a claiming one, but to Judy that didn't matter. To her it was proof that Nick did indeed love her dearly. It wasn't until she came down from her euphoric high that Judy realized that Nick had stopped. Looking at him as he gazed down at her with an indiscernible expression, Judy softly inquired, "What is it, Nick?"

Nick could only shake his head as he tried to find a way to answer her question. Did he give her the honest answer? Or that of the con artist? 'They say the truth will set you free' Nick thought to himself as he lost himself within the violet sea of her eyes. Sighing, Nick whispered, "I…I have things about me, about my past that I'm afraid to tell you. It's not that I don't want to, believe me, but I'm frightened that you'll leave me once I do." They never once broke eye contact and Nick could see various emotions flash across her muzzle.

On Judy's end, what she saw was fear, apprehension, and nervousness within Nick's eyes. A tender smile slowly made its way across Judy's muzzle. "Hey," she whispered, "No matter what you did in the past, I know who you are now. That's all that matters." Judy saw the fear begin to fade away and disappear, but the nervousness and apprehension remained. "You can tell me whenever you're ready. I won't push."

Hearing that, Nick rolled them over so that he was lying on his back with Judy on top of him. Closing his eyes, he thought, 'One step at a time'. Taking a deep, calming breath, Nick said, "When I was younger, like after the junior ranger incident, I asked my mother why my dad was never around. I expected some story like he died, or he was stationed overseas, or something. Instead, the answer I got was getting slapped around, screamed at, and told to never mention, and these are her words, 'that bloody motherfucking sack of goddamn dogshit again'. The beating was so bad that I didn't even bother going to school the next day. That same night, while my mother was drinking herself into a stupor, I ran away."

Remaining quiet as she listened to Nick, Judy shifted her head to find Nick looking off into space. She maneuvered herself so that her head was in the hollow of Nick's throat. This seemed to break Nick out of his trance somewhat, for his arms tightened around her body, holding her close to him. She could feel his heartbeat from how tightly he held her to his chest.

"I didn't know if I would survive." Nick whispered. "I was all alone with no one to depend on for anything. Imagine it, a 10-year-old kit wandering the streets trying his hardest to survive. I saw and heard things that no kit should ever come across. I was on the verge of death when I stumbled into Mr. Big's territory in Tundratown. Back then, it was his Grandmama who was in power. She took me in, fed me, raised me. I was only thirteen when the skunk butt rug incident took place. I wasn't aware of what it really was. I thought I was doing something to repay her kindness, but I was fucked over by the swine I bought it from. Rodolfo knew that I wasn't at fault exactly, but he still needed to portray the vindictive Don for those in the family that had it out for me. He let me escape."

Judy nuzzled comfortingly into Nick's neck. "You don't have to continue Nick. You don't have to push yourself to tell me everything right now." She didn't want Nick for force himself to tell her everything about his past.

"No, I know. I just…" Nick hesitated for a moment. "I need to at least finish telling you this story." Inhaling deeply, he exhaled slowly. "I met Finn shortly afterwards. He was in the middle of a hustle, but stopped once he found me underneath a bridge crying. He didn't ask any questions, just sat there with me for a bit until I calmed down. I don't remember the exact sequence of events that followed, but Finn ended up taking me to his van to drive me home. He walked me to my mom's front door expecting to find a vixen happy to know her son was returned after years. Only, instead of that, my mother looked at us, saw me then said 'I thought I finally got rid of your stupid face. Get lost.', then slammed the door in our muzzles. Finn was furious, but instead of breaking down the door, he dragged me back to his van telling me that we were family now."

She didn't say anything, but it was due to not wanting to begin screaming in righteous fury. 'How could a mother do something like that to her own offspring?' she demanded silently. Judy wondered if there was any way to track down Nick's mother and find something to charge her with. Suddenly a question presented itself. "Nick? What about your father? Did you ever learn anything about him?" She knew it was probably asking too much, but she had to know, needed to know, there was a chance for Nick to have a familial relative that cared for him.

Nodding, Nick whispered, "I did. It was around my 17th birthday that I stumbled upon his name. After some research, I tried to get in contact with him. I eventually got a response, but it was only that one time. The letter said that if he was ever able to he'd come home. That was 18 years ago. I haven't heard anything since."

Sadness overwhelmed Judy as it dawned on her that there was a very clear possibility that Nick's father had died shortly after sending his letter. Holding Nick in a strong embrace, Judy whispered, "I'm so sorry, Nick. I wish that there was something that I could do for you." It hurt her heart that all this had happened to Nick. Judy didn't even know if that was the worst of it.

Nick reciprocated the embrace. "Just stay with me." he replied softly. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you in my life. So, just stay with me, please." The emotional toll that this took exhausted him. It was clear in how soft and tired his voice sounded. Nick fought valiantly to remain awake, but it was a futile effort and he drifted asleep with Judy not far behind as she cried herself to sleep.

The Zootopian Police Department's Precinct One was bustling with activity as the officers of the nightshift moved from one area of the building to another. Benjamin Clawhauser, the large, jubilant cheetah dispatch officer, was in the middle of organizing the reports he was to deliver to Chief Bogo when he heard someone clear their throat. Not seeing anyone, he peered over the edge of his desk counter to find a red fox tod with bloody, crimson fur and the richest emerald green eyes he'd only ever come across once before. "Uh, can I help you, sir?"

The tod smiled politely. "I'm looking for Chief Bogo. I have an appointment, though I'm a little late." He took out an old timepiece from his pocket. "By like seven minutes. I don't usually make excuses, as it's unprofessional, but I haven't been in the city in years, so I kind of got turned around and lost trying to find this place."

"Oh! Name?"

"Interpol Special Operative Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Senior."

Across town – Sahara Square

Frank and Nathaniel stared in horror as the vampire bat drained the poor ram of his entire blood supply. Frank shivered in fear as the body slumped to the floor. Nathaniel diverted his gaze as the vampire bat licked his snout to clean it of blood. Neither knew what to do next as their original purpose for being here was no longer required. So, they simply stood there silently, awaiting further orders.

The vampire bat turned to his minions and ordered, "Get rid of the evidence. All of it. I don't want anything to remain here that can be traced back to us." He began to walk towards the exit, but stopped short as the sound of soft cackling started to echo through the warehouse. "Who's there? Show yourself. Or else I'll burn this building to the ground."

Nothing.

Total silence.

Looking back to the wolf and jackal, the vampire bat saw that they had been knocked unconscious. Terror surged through him as he slowly scanned his surroundings.

Nothing.

Total silence.

Breathing heavily, the vampire bat crept slowly towards the door. Upon reaching it, he found that the door wouldn't open. Try as hard as he might, it wouldn't budge. The sound of approaching pawsteps came up from behind him, but he didn't dare turn around. Then, a voice, cold as death, filled his ears.

"Did you miss me, Vladimir?" it asked. "It's been so long, hasn't it? Tell me, did you think I was dead? Did you think that I would forget everything you did to me?"

Vladimir Batsarab felt his heart stop as he recognized the voice. It wasn't the one he had expected. It was one that was far, far worse that the worst nightmare he had ever experienced. "Please. I didn't know. I wasn't aware of what they were doing. I promise you, I didn't know."

Nothing.

Total silence.

His instincts told him not to look back, but curiosity got the better of him. Turning around, Vladimir found himself alone. Spying a small piece of parchment on the floor, he stooped down to pick it up. Reading it, he quaked in dread. Swallowing, he read it out loud, just to make sure that he hadn't misread it. "You've got one week. If you don't repent, I'll show you how savage I can truly be thanks to your precious experiments. Signed, The Apex Omnivore."

Judy's Apartment – 5:15 AM

Judy woke up to the sound of her alarm. She groaned, not wanting to get up. She felt so comfortable where she was. 'I don't want to. I don't want to. I don't want to.' Judy thought to herself repeatedly. Unfortunately, her mattress started to shift and the alarm came to an end mid-beep. Then, she felt a loving kiss get placed between her ears.

"Time to get up, Judy." Nick whispered. "We've got to go talk to Chief Bogo, remember? Besides, we can't sleep all day since we're on the nightshift."

She hated that he was right. With another groan, Judy rolled off Nick chest. "Fine. Let's get up." She let out a squeak as Nick lifted her to his chest and begin to carry her to the bathroom. "Nick," she giggled. "What are you doing?"

"Shower time!" Nick said like a rapper, making Judy giggle more.

They gave each other a thorough scrub down. Nick had to make do with Judy's shower gel as he didn't have his regular. Judy made sure that her attentions got the gel down to his skin, knowing that Nick required a deep cleansing.

As they washed each other, the two slowly drew closer together. It inevitably resulted with a kiss. Though it started chaste, the kiss quickly became a raging inferno. Judy pulled herself up onto Nick's chest, wrapping her legs around his midsection. Nick groped Judy's ass, giving each a firm squeeze. Soon, Nick had Judy pressed up against the shower wall, a growl emanating from him. Judy pulled Nick closer, as if trying to suck his soul through the kiss. A 'meep' escaped her as Judy felt Nick's cock tip press itself to her asshole. Separating herself from their liplock, Judy whispered, "Not yet, Slick. Soon, though. I promise."

Nick growled passionately as he pushed his nose into Judy's neck. "Sorry. I can't help it. I've got the most drop dead gorgeous female alive in the shower with me." He felt extremely pleased that his words caused Judy to hum with pleasure. "So, you're tell me that you've picked a specific date?"

"Uh-huh." Judy answered in a whisper. "Tell me something, do you remember what's special about this weekend?" She nibbled his ear a bit after asking the question.

Judy's action had Nick growl lustfully, so it took him a few seconds to remember what that weekend was. "I-it's our anniversary of becoming partners." Two years, they would be celebrating their two-year anniversary as police partners.

"That's right." Judy whispered sensually into Nick's ear. "Can you think of a better time for us to become a different kind of partners?"

Nick couldn't answer. His senses were being assaulted by the scent of Judy's arousal. It was so strong that it overpowered the smell of the shower gel. All Nick could do was growl. He had been limited to growling a lot lately.

They finally managed to get out of the shower and dressed. They whipped up a quick little breakfast then were out the door. Climbing into the truck, Judy behind the wheel, the two took off towards the precinct. They tossed their thoughts back and forth about what would soon take place.

Arriving at the precinct, Nick and Judy gave each other's paw a squeeze then walked inside. They froze in place at the sight of an older red fox tod speaking to Clawhauser. He was wearing a black business suit and his fur was a bloody crimson. His ears were pure black, his tail the same, but with a bit of white at the tip. They saw his ear flick a second before he turned to look at them.

The instant Nick's eyes locked with the other tod's, his whole world slowed to almost a complete standstill. Memories came rushing forth at the sight of this other tod, who slowly approached them. Nick wanted to say something, but the other tod beat him to the punch.

"Hello, Junior. Sorry it took me so long to come home."

"D-Dad?"

Bunnyburrow

Bonnie Hopps was busy trying to make brunch in the kitchen of her family's burrow in Bunnyburrow. Having returned only a few hours ago, one would think she would try and sleep off the jet lag, but then Bonnie wasn't a normal doe. Being the mother to nearly 300 kits, she was used to pulling multiple days without much sleep. Turning her head to look at her husband, Stu, she saw that he was still squinting into the distance, lost in thought. "Oh, Stu. Will you please stop this nonsense? Judy doesn't even know I know."

Stu grumbled and downed the cup of carrot infused tea. "I don't like it, Bon. I just don't like it. Why? Why wouldn't she just tell us straight?" Try as hard as he might, Stu was finding it extremely difficult to comprehend that his daughter was in love with a predator, specifically her fox partner. He admittedly liked Nick, based on his wife's opinion of the tod and Judy's constant praise of him, but this wasn't normal.

Rolling her eyes, Bonnie replied, "You know why Stu. Don't play dumb." Under her breathe, she added, "Not that it would be difficult for you to play dumb." Bonnie truly loved her husband, but ever since that accident years ago Stu wasn't the same male she fell in love with. 'He used to be so bright, in more ways than one. But now?' she thought with a sigh. "Besides, Nick's always been looking out for her, never hurt her, and plus, he's more of a gentlemammal than most of the others we've tried to send her way." Bonnie was getting really tired of Stu's constant attempts to set Judy up with someone she wouldn't give the time of day.

Resting his forehead against the tabletop, Stu asked in a quiet voice, "Bon? Do you think it's time for me to go back to the hospital?"

The question gave Bonnie pause and she turned to look at her husband. Stu had been putting off every rescheduled appointment with the specialist for a follow up from his accident for the past five years. If he was asking her for her opinion on going back something had to be up. "You already know my answer, Stu. It hasn't changed."

"Then, please make me an appointment for later today." Stu mumbled. Approximately five years ago, Stu and a few of his sons had been trying to reroof the large storage unit. Having lost his footing, Stu had fallen the three-story drop, impacting the ground hard enough that it had given him minimal brain damage. He was still smart, but he did suffer from mild impairment as a result. Visits to the hospital for this always made him feel stupid, but there was nothing he could do about that. Part of his issue with Judy's reluctance to tell them the truth, in his mind, was that she knew his aversion to things of this…nature.

"I'll do that as soon as I finish making brunch." Bonnie promised. Her ear swiveled as the door to the kitchen opened. Turning to see her four of her eldest sons enter the kitchen, she smiled. "Morning!" She was then swarmed by them all wanting to be the first to hug her welcome. "Oh, I feel so loved." Bonnie told them, returning their group hug as best she could.

The Hopps burrow was soon lively as ever, kits bouncing around, teens arguing over the most kittish things, Finally, Michael Hopps, the eldest of all their children entered the eating area carrying a early edition newspaper. Being a reporter, he always had a early copy for his father.

Taking the paper from his son, Stu began to read. "Bon? What did you say Judy and her friend Nick were investigating?"

"A series of murders, I think. They were both rather vague about the details."

"You might want to read this then." Stu told her as he passed it over.

Bonnie wiped her paws on her apron and took the paper from her husband. The front-page headline was: "The Apex Omnivore Returns: Death's Emissary walks the streets of Zootopia once more!" "Oh, dear!"

Zootopia

* _"For the love of…I'm not cheating on you, Katharine!"_

" _How do I know that!? HOW!? DO? I!? FUCKING!? KNOW!? THAT!? I literally just answered a call from some female asking for you!"_

" _What was her name?"_

" _Alice! Why does it matter anyway? If you're not cheating on me, why would you know her?"_

" _That was my old handler, Kat! Remember? The female that over saw my missions for Interpol? You met her before?"_

" _So, you were cheating on me with your coworker?"_

" _NO! I HAVE NEVER CHEATED ON YOU!"_

" _You have no proof of that!"_

" _I've been retired since you told me that you were pregnant! I KNOTTED YOU!"_

" _That doesn't mean shit and you know it!"_

" _Look, it was probably some clerical error in records. They probably miss filed my retirement as deactivation. I'll go in and sort it all out."_

" _HA! Right! All you're going to do is run to Alice and fuck her. You know what? Get the fuck out of my house!"_

" _What about Junior? What are you going to tell him?"_

" _Whatever the fuck I want! I'll fucking tell him you're dead if I choose to!"_

" _Kat!"_

" _GET OUT!"_

"After that, I went to the branch office to try and straighten the issue out, but as soon as I stepped inside, I found myself on a one-way flight to the scene of the investigation I was being called in for without a chance to protest." Nicholas Sr. explained as he cleaned his teeth with a wisp. "As much as I tried to get back home, I was constantly refused. The only time I did manage to get back to home office, I found my office flooded with letters. Al of them from Junior. I managed to get one letter out, but that was all. I told Director Howlington that if it wasn't for the fact he was a good friend, I'd shoot him dead without pause."

Judy and Nick stared at Nick's dad in shock. They had just witnessed him put away enough food for a pack of wolves and were now listening to the story that culminated in the explanation for his disappearance as they walked through the streets of Zootopia. Nick was still in disbelief that his father was still alive after all this time. Judy, on the other paw, was juggling a mixture of emotions that she couldn't quite put names to yet.

"So, the reason you couldn't contact me was…?" Nick asked.

"Due to not knowing where I'd be next. I wanted to be able to let you know that way I'd be able to respond, but I've got shit luck." Senior answered.

"You've been chasing the Apex Omnivore all this time?" Judy queried. "I mean, that's the reason for his extended absence isn't it? He's been overseas?"

"Yes and No." Senior replied. "This…Incarnation, let's say, is both a copycat and an original. I don't know exactly how to explain it. Good news is I won't really have to. That's why I was talking with your chief this morning. I've commandeered you two to help me. Full access of course."

"Wait. So, we're going to be working for you?" Nick inquired.

"With me. Not for me. For all intents and purposes, you two will be acting Interpol Special Operatives with all the perks." Senior answered, smiling.

Nick and Judy were silent as they processed that information.

"Anyway," Senior began. "Let's talk about you two. That's another reason I asked for private dining. How long have you two been intimate?" He couldn't stop his smug smirk if he tried as he watched them desperately try to sputter out denials. "Don't bother trying to hide it from me. I may be old, but I still got a good nose and a keen set of eyes. Besides, Nick's tail is practically wrapped around your ankles Ms. Hopps. That's a sure-fire way to know the two of you are 'seeing' one another."

The two looked down to see that Nicholas Sr. was right when pointing out the position of Nick's tail. Nick couldn't find it within himself to extract it from Judy's ankles. For her own part, Judy instinctively grasped Nick's paw for assurance. The action caused Sr. to chuckle drawing their attention back to him. He had a warm smile on his face, one like a proud father.

"You chose a splendid one, Junior. She's everything you need." Sr. stated as he continued on his way down the street. He heard them hurry to catch up to him. "I know that this place won't let you do a lot of things. Hell, they're all for letting mammals be anything, but they refuse to let them do what their heart truly desires. I, for one, wish I could tell them off. I've seen tons of predator-prey couples during my time overseas. It's not unheard of, but it is something that Zootopia refuses to accept."

Nick frowned at his father's admittance of witnessing predator-prey couples overseas. It made him wonder if his father had someone new in his life. "Do you have anyone waiting for you somewhere? Or have you stayed faithful to Mom?"

Sr. stopped, and his ears fell flat against his head. "No. I don't have anyone waiting for me." Sr. whispered. "Besides, I'm guessing you don't know about your mom, do you?" Seeing the confused expression his son had, he sighed. "You're mom's dead Junior. Been dead for a while. I got word of her passing around the time of your 23rd birthday."

Judy felt her heart clench as Nick's face contorted in what appeared to be despair, misery, and shame. She embraced him in a tight, strong hug. There were so many things Judy wanted to say, but not one of them seemed to be the right thing to tell him. She knew nothing about Nick's mother except for what Nick had told her at the concert.

As for Nick, he was crushed. A teeny tiny part of him had hoped that he'd be able to try and mend things with her, but alas it was not to be. While a good portion of his younger years were filled with terrible, horrendous memories, there had been a couple of nice ones too. Knowing that his mother had died before he could make amends, Nick felt a torrent of emotions that he couldn't quite describe, but he was sure Judy knew.

Nicholas Sr. hung his head mournfully. He hadn't wanted to be the one responsible for telling his son the news of his mother's death, but unfortunately, he had. "I'm planning on visiting her grave while I'm here. You're welcome to come along when I do."

All Nick could do was nod in response. He felt Judy begin to guide him by his paw as they continued to walk down the street. He couldn't say anything. No words lent themselves to him. Guilt, regret, and remorse weighed heavily on his heart and mind.

Seeing Nick like this pained Judy immensely, but there was little she could do to ease what he was dealing with at the moment. "How about we go to my place for a bit? It isn't too far a walk from her and we could talk about other things for a while." She was ever so grateful when Nicholas Sr. agreed.

The walk back to Judy's place was, in fact, a short one. Letting the two vulpines inside, she guided Nick to the couch. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Sr.'s nose twitched, and her ears heated up realizing what it was he smelled. "Sorry about the, uh, stench. I…"

"I'm not bothered by it." Nicholas Sr. interrupted. "Not like I don't remember being young and in love. Though, it was a long time ago." Sitting on the small chair available, he stretched then relaxed. "Now, you have questions about the Apex Omnivore, or rather as I know him, BTK. Let's hear them."

"How long has this guy been around?" Judy inquired. "Obviously, he's been around for a long time. We've got unsolved murders dating back to before most of the current officers in the ZPD were born. You, however, stated that the killer is both a copycat and an original, which doesn't make any sense. Can you explain?"

Nicholas Sr. gave her a grin and nodded. "Straight to the point. I like that." he observed. "Very well. BTK is a copycat of another killer dating back over a century ago. Highly intelligent, extremely methodical, and meticulous to a fault. The original killer was never caught, but they didn't have the technology we have today. We now know the identity of the original perp: Jonathan Whiskerson. Now, this killer is also all of those things, but he's making a game of it. Our new perp is exceedingly well trained in both militaristic and surgical prowess, making him that much more lethal, that much more dangerous. He's travelled all over the world, going from continent to continent, challenging the best law enforcement agencies to a game of 'Catch me if you think you can'. Little to nothing is known about who he is or his species, which means he could be anything. I know he's male simply due to the fact that the murders are so gruesome. Females tend to be very neat when killing others, normally using poison. I know that he's too young to have committed the original murders because he's arrogant. Older perps usually aren't, preferring to not draw attention to their work. There's also the fact that these murders didn't start here. The first known murder by our Unsub was in the same location as the originals: Whitechapel. His modus operandi is the same as the original's, as far as we know. No discrimination, all of his victims are of different genders, ages, species, and religions with no known connections. How he kills is where he deviates as his own. He uses various means of brutal torture, weapons, and he leaves nothing he doesn't want us to find. The original was simply slash-and-go, no torture, using a V-42 Stiletto. Our quarry uses different types of blades, as well as firearms to kill his victims, often after either hours of torture or immediately upon choosing them."

It was a bit much to take in within such a short span of time, but Judy managed. Discovering that the original murders didn't take place either here in Zootopia nor even in this era wasn't something she expected to learn. The thought that this killer they were chasing had committed such heinous crimes not only here but overseas was almost too much for her to handle.

"How many victims has he claimed." Nick asked, finally collecting himself enough to partake in the conversation. "How many victims has this monster murdered for his own sick pleasure?" While he hadn't paid close attention, Nick had heard enough. The thought that this beastly abomination was doing this for fun sickened and enraged him. When his father hesitated, Nick said, "Answer the question, Dad."

Frowning deeply, Nicholas Sr. replied, "As of your most recent victim, the death tally for this monster is now well over a hundred. He's killed people across six continents, multiple countries, and various jurisdictions. Once captured, Interpol wants to have him prosecuted in front of the International Criminal Court. This way every law enforcement agency gets to indict him simultaneously."

Nick and Judy nodded in understanding. Prosecuting the killer through the ICC meant that everyone was equally represented. Meaning that it was the perfect compromise for all law enforcement agencies. The two had their work cut out for them.

"When do we leave?" Nick asked. He'd have to make another run to his apartment if they were leaving soon.

"In three days." Sr. answered. "I have contacts I need to meet and associates I need to check in with before we can leave." Taking a look at his watch, Sr. said, "We still have a few hours before I need to check into my hotel. Either of you have anything you want to do?"

Neither Judy nor Nick had anything come to mind. That was until they realized they hadn't done the one thing they had planned on doing today: inform Bogo about their relationship. "Crap!" "Shit!" They shot to their feet.

"We need to go back to the station." Nick told his father. "Judy and I had gone there this morning to talk to him about us."

The three of them began heading back to the precinct. Along the way, Nick and his father chatted a bit about the things they missed out on together. Judy remained at Nick's side the entire time, smiling warmly as she watched Nick interact with his father. It really did warm her heart. _'I'm so happy for you Nick. You deserve this.'_

The Nocturnal District

Vladimir Batsarab was pacing within his home, lost in thought. 'He can't be alive. It's impossible. We were there when he died.'

'We never saw the body. It was never recovered.' a part of his brain was quick to refute.

"No one could have survived that.' he countered.

Memories of the event surged forth.

Fire. The blazing inferno that devoured the compound, killing everyone that hadn't managed to escape.

Vladimir shuddered as he recalled the death wails that echoed throughout air. So many deaths. Vladimir remembered the names of each one, as if they were forever carved into his mind. His nephew's killer was one of them, but the question was…which? He hadn't a clue. The voice had been familiar, but he couldn't recall to whom it belonged.

The door opened to reveal an older female vampire bat, who watched as her husband paced the floor frantically. He hadn't kissed her upon his return, which was out of character for him and worried her. Stepping into his path, she asked, "What has happened? What is the cause for your unease, Vlad? Tell me please. I can't bear to see you this way."

Vladimir looked at his wife with eyes that expressed a sadness and fear unlike any she had ever seen. Cupping her snout lovingly, he said, "I can't. I'm so, so sorry, but I simply cannot tell you, my darling. It isn't that I wish to keep it a secret. That I promise you. However, I cannot, in good conscience, tell you what has me behaving like this, for it would mean confessing to crimes that would forever subject me to eternal damnation."

Placing her own paws upon her husband's, she whispered, "This has to do with that night years ago does it not? That's the reason for Timothy's death, isn't it? Whatever you were involved with." Not getting a denial from her husband, she backed away. "There will never be any consequences for what happened. That's what you told me. What do you expect us to tell Ingres and his mate? How will we explain that your mistakes have cost them their only offspring?"

Vladimir hung his head in shame. There was no way that they could tell his brother and sister-in-law that their line had reached its end. Timothy hadn't just been their only child, but he was the only child the two would ever have. They had been told that children were an impossibility, but soon life found a way and Timothy had been born. "I don't know. I truly, honestly don't know."

Tears spilled from her eyes as she gazed at her husband's expression of despair. Hugging him, she whimpered out, through sobs, "Vlad, we can't keep this from them. Timothy was their child. They're bound to get a notification from the police. They should hear it from us first."

"Y-you're right." Vlad admitted. "We…no, I, will tell them." Separating himself from their embrace, Vlad straightened his attire. "I'll go now. I should have told them the moment I learned of his death." Kissing his wife, Vlad walked outside and took flight.

Watching as her husband departed, the female vampire bat whispered a prayer of safe journeys. Suddenly, a cold chill passed through her. Fear enveloped her heart as a voice behind her whispered, "Seems as if though I made a crucial error in judgement earlier. I must rectify this. Fear not my dear, for I won't kill you. Just hurt you really, really badly."

Office of Chief Bogo

Staring at two of his best officers as they divulged that something was going on between them, Chief Bogo rubbed his temple. 'They couldn't just have kept it a secret for a little bit longer?' Setting his hooves on his desk, Bogo sighed. "As long as it doesn't affect your job performance, I don't care. Just keep this on the down low for now while I try and smooth this out with Mammal Resources." Under his breath, he muttered, "This is going to be a shitload of paperwork."

Nicholas Sr. stood in the back of the room near the door, watching as his son and his son's doefriend braved explaining their change in relationship status. It was well known to those who dealt with foxes regularly that once a fox has chosen someone they want to spend their lives with, that was it. Bogo's reaction was trademark for one who knew that well enough. Being Police Chief, one was expected to know things about each species culture.

"Thank you, Sir." Judy and Nick replied simultaneously. The fear that Chief Bogo would end their partnership dissipated. They both knew they'd have to be careful not to let their feelings dictate their decisions. Being given permission to leave, Nick and Judy, followed by Sr., left the precinct.

"That was serendipitous. I was sure that he'd separate us." Nick mused as he pulled Judy close.

"I did too, Slick." Judy replied, feeling relieved. "I guess we're just that good together."

Sr. chuckled silently as they watched them. 'Oh, you two are something else.' he thought. "We still have time before I must check into my hotel. What should we do now?"

"Let's go grab a snack at this little food cart near Serengeti Plaza." Judy suggested. "The foodie is a friend of ours. He'll be excited to meet you, I'm sure of it."

They hailed a taxicab for their destination, which was all the way across the district. Disembarking, the three made their way to the food cart. Judy and Nick waved to the weasel running the cart.

Duke Weaselton hadn't expected a lot out of life. He had been known as the Duke of Bootleg, after all. A regular arrest of Flopsy the Copsy and Wilde for months after they took the city by storm. Eventually, he had no choice but to try and go legit. One of the few talents, besides bootlegging, he had was cooking. So, after managing to convince them to let him try owning a food cart, Duke had been surprised to find many actually enjoyed his food. Hopps and Wilde became semi-regulars when they were assigned Savannah Central. "How're two of my regulars? And who's this?" Duke asked as he finished flipping a flapjack with bananas.

"Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Sr." Sr. answered, as he took a look at the available treats on display. "My, my, I'm looking forward to tasting one of those." he said, pointing to something that appeared to be an egg roll stuffed with spiders and tofu. "Tell me, does it taste good?"

Duke nearly had a heart attack at the older tod's words. "Hold on a sec? You're this one's old tod?" Duke asked, pointing to Nick with his spatula. Getting a nod in reply, Duke muttered, "Well, I'll be damned. How do ya like that? One Tofu Spider Egg Roll coming up."

"Thank you." Sr. said as he waited patiently. Looking to his son, he asked, "So, what's the story here? Old rivals on the streets or something?"

"Ya could say that." Duke answered in Nick's place. "Used to be a criminal for a long time before I started doing this. My new goal is a food truck, but that's still a long way off."

"Hm." Sr. hummed as he took the surprisingly large egg roll. "I'm sensing more, but I can wait." Taking a bite, Sr.'s eyes widened. "Good God, this is delicious!" he exclaimed.

"Isn't it?" Nick asked. "Duke here's learned to take regular, everyday foodstuff and turn it into something tasty." Taking one of the free samples, Nick bit down on the mini-pancake. "These taste a bit different this time."

"I cooked them around a banana slice." Duke answered as he prepared to cook cricket chips.

"Nice." Judy said as she too took one. "Really as a nice flavor to them."

"Thanks." Duke replied with a grin. Then a frown found its way to his muzzle. "I've heard a few whispers going around. Thought I'd see if there was anything I could learn for y'all." Scanning around, Duke lowered his voice. "That bat y'all found, Tim. His uncle is Vladimir Batsarab, a drug lord and mafia boss outta the Nocturnal District. Tim was a druggie that used to 'sample' his uncle's product. But, I don't think Tim was a target. I think he was a message to his Uncle Vlad."

"Continue, please." Nicholas Sr. ordered. Seeing the weasel's look of confusion, he displayed his own badge. "I'm vetted."

Nodding, Duke shut off his cart for a bit. "Vlad wasn't always based here. He's originally from overseas. Rumors have it that he was once involved with a bunch of bad shit. Nothing was proven, but he may have been involved with that incident at the Whitby Asylum."

Nicholas Sr. paused. Whitby Asylum was the site for one of the most horrible events in London's history. Dozens of inmates had been burned alive when the facility erupted into an inferno. There was no record of any known survivors from the event. Sr. tried to remember what he knew about the Whitby Asylum, but nothing stood out. Staying silent, he hoped that Duke would continue.

"From what little I've managed to hear, Vlad's got someone gunning for him from overseas. Now, I don't know whether this has anything to do with your serial killer or not, but I thought you should know." Duke told them. "I'll also keep my ears open for anything else."

"Thanks, Duke. We appreciate it." Judy told the weasel.

Saying their goodbyes, Nicholas Sr., Judy, and Nick started walking into the nearby park. They enjoyed watching as life thrived around them. Taking a seat at a picnic table, the three fell into casual conversation. Nick and his dad resumed filling each other in on their lives.

Judy listened as Nick regaled to his dad their adventure during the Missing and Savage Mammals investigations. Every so often, she'd cut in and correct some exaggeration Nick spewed, much to Sr.'s amusement. Nick would just roll his eyes playfully at Judy's interruptions.

Soon, the sun was beginning to set, and Sr. said, "Well, looks like I missed check in."

"You could just stay at my place, Dad." Nick told the older tod. "I'm staying at Judy's anyway."

Sr. shook his head. "Nah, I'll see if the front desk will let me check in late. I simply say work took longer than expected."

"You sure?" Nick questioned as his father stood up. "I don't mind you staying at my apartment."

"Yeah. I wouldn't want to intrude into your den." Sr. expressed. "Now, mind telling me the fastest way to the Palm Casino and Hotel?"

Nick and Judy gawked in astonishment at which hotel Sr. was staying.

A few minutes later, Nick and Judy stood within view of the Palm Casino and Hotel. Technically the most high-class resort in Zootopia, the Palms, as it was commonly known, was constantly seen as the epitome of modern structural engineering. Designed in the shape of a large palm tree, the leaves were, in fact, solar panels that powered the building. The roots took over at night to power through hydroelectricity using the underground reservoir and subterranean streams within the district. The trunk of the treelike design was where the hotel rooms were located. The base held the casino.

"I can't believe you've got a room here." Nick grumbled as he and Judy stared at the place.

Judy, for her part, was still awestruck by the sight of the large structure. No matter how many times she saw it, Judy couldn't help feeling amazed at seeing it up close.

"Is it really that amazing?" Sr. wondered out loud. "It's just a standard Casino Hotel, isn't it?"

Nick rolled his eyes as he realized that his father more than likely stayed as some of the more high-class casino hotels in the world during his overseas stints. "For you maybe, but for mammals like us? This place is a luxury most can barely afford."

"Ah." Sr. murmured, now understanding his son's viewpoint. "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow. Sleep well, Junior. Ms. Hopps."

Watching as Sr. disappeared inside, Nick felt Judy take ahold of his paw. Looking at her, he asked, "Ready to head home?"

Judy gave him a smirk and raised eyebrow. "Home? We're going to my apartment, Slick. I don't remember you moving in."

"You, Judy, are my home." Nick whispered as he knelt before her. "I have an apartment, but it isn't a _home_. My home is wherever you are."

Her smirk softening into a warm, tender loving smile, Judy whispered, "Same here. Let's go home." She guided him back to her place by the paw. A few inquisitive stares were sent their way by other pedestrians, but they ignored them. Coming up to Judy's apartment building, they were greeted by Finn, who gave them a one finger salute.

Entering the apartment, Judy closed the door then turned around only to be slammed into the wall by Nick, who kissed her hungrily. "Mm. Where is this coming from, Red?" she moaned out.

"Well, we didn't continue like we planned last night." Nick sensually growled. Taking a light nip of her neck, he whispered, "And I find that criminal."

Judy giggled, then pushed Nick away. "Well then, as it was basically your fault, I'm placing you under arrest." She led Nick to her room and closed the door.

Palm Casino and Hotel

Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Sr. entered his hotel room and collapsed on the bed with a grunt. He was feeling his age, which was, amazingly, in his mid-50's. He stared at the ceiling, a smile on his muzzle. _'Nick's found a wonderful female.'_ he thought to himself. He wondered what Katharine would've thought of Judy. 'Probably would have been speciest.' he grumbled mentally.

Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to recall the day he met Katharine. It had been a rainy day in Zootopia, the sky was gray with storm clouds. He had run under a store awning on his way home. Katharine had worked inside and was prepping one of the mannequins in the window. She had tapped on the glass to get his attention then invited him inside.

Katharine had been one of the loveliest vixens he had ever seen. Gorgeous russet fur, soft and fluffy, with a lean body and sparkling sapphire eyes. She had played the game better than anyone he knew. Smart, witty, and beautiful, Senior had a difficult time convincing her to give him the time of day. He finally managed it after weeks of tenacity.

There had been months of courting, dozens of dates, and hours of discussion about their relationship. Eventually, they had moved in together into a small studio apartment. They had had problems, but they always worked it out. At least, until the night she kicked him out. He remembered what started the fight. Unlike what he told Junior, which was that it started with the phone call, the fight had begun because of something Nick had done. He was so young Sr. doubted Nick remembered.

Nick had inadvertently ruined one of Katharine's projects for work. Katharine had been livid and when he had gotten home, Sr. had gotten an earful about how everything wrong with her life was his fault. Katharine had never wanted a kit, but he had convinced her to have Nick saying that it may change her view on motherhood. It hadn't. To her, it only proved her point that kits were more trouble than they were worth.

There had been many nights when he'd come home that Sr. would find Katharine beating Junior. After he left, he learned that Katharine had changed somewhat. She had become kinder to Nick, worked harder to provide for him. He was happy when word reached him that she had gotten Nick into the ranger scouts. It all went to hell after that though.

Katharine had spiraled. She lost her job, no longer had any prospects, and had a troublesome kit to care for to top it off. Her world effectively collapsed all around her, leading to a world of drugs, alcohol, and shameless prostitution. He had wanted to go back for Nick, knowing it was too late to save Katharine from herself. However, his superiors had refused to let him. By the time he'd been given permission, Nick was in the wind, Katharine was dead, and his investigation had become far more heated.

"It all worked out in the end, though." Nicholas Sr. whispered to himself. "Junior's met a wonderful female. One that loves him, faults, flaws, and all." Senior remembered when word of Judith L. Hopps had reached his ears. A sense of pride had filled him, for her feats helped proved that there were others who outright challenged and defied the social norms. Now? Now, Senior was happy to see that _she_ was the one his son had chosen. _'You've chosen a good one, Junior. Hold onto her with everything you've got. Otherwise, they'll take her from you.'_

Judy's bedroom

The kiss was like an inferno tempest. Hot. Passionate. They fell off the precipice of instinct and devolved to near primeval savages. Nick released a predatory snarl as he ravaged Judy's maw. Judy in turned moaned into their liplock, spurring him on. Having her pressed up against the wall of her bedroom, Nick ground his arousal into her own. Judy had her legs wrapped around his waist to pull him as far into her as possible. The paw that Nick was using to brace himself was leaving gouges in the drywall.

"Bed." Judy managed to gasp after pulling away to breath. She felt herself flying through the air then land onto the mattress of her bed. The next thing Judy felt was Nick's body pressing down onto her. Their eyes looked for only an instant before they were attacking one another again. Judy began to claw at Nick's clothing, trying to tear it off of him. She wanted to feel his furry chest, to run her paws over his lithe musculature, but having such naturally dull claws didn't help her. Judy let out a noise of frustration.

Luckily, Nick knew exactly what his bunny wanted and separated himself from the kiss just long enough to rip his shirt off his body before diving back into their kiss. God, could he smell her. Her scent was absolutely intoxicating, addictive. He hated it, but the only thing he could analogize it with was a designer narcotic. Nick wanted more, more of her aroused scent. He needed more of it. Deepening the kiss, Nick got what he wanted. Carefully with a claw, Nick sliced through Judy's shirt and bra. He felt as Judy wiggled out of the ruined garments then wrap her arms around the back of his head, Nick growled lustfully at the actions, as it was she were saying 'I want more. Give me more.' Nick complied pressing her further into the mattress, trapping her underneath him.

Judy should have felt frightened out of her mind, but instead she never felt safer, more protected in her life. She wanted, needed, him, but now wasn't the time. There were still things that needed to be addressed. For now, though, tonight they would do as much as they could before they traversed that final barrier. Judy used her hindpaws in an attempt to rid Nick of his pants. With deft accuracy, she unlatched his belt, unbuttoned and unzipped his pant, and shoved them down his legs with his boxers. Feeling his throbbing erection now situated between the apex of her thighs, Judy whined in need. 'Not now. Not now. Not now.'

Nick had to pull himself away from their heated kiss, chest heaving. Gazing down at his lovely, beautiful bunny, Nick had to asked her, "H-How…how far are w-we going to go?" He needed to know, so he knew where to stop. That lustful expression she gave him made it hard to resist taking her now, claiming her as his lifemate, but through sheer willpower, Nick managed it. Leaning in close, noses almost touching, he whispered, "I need my mistress's order to tell me how much freedom I have."

Just hearing the words had Judy's back arch and her eyes roll back in her head as she released a sultry moan. "I'll tell you when to stop, pup." Judy told him seductively. "Now get to work." She gasped when Nick immediately removed her pants and panties teasingly, tantalizingly slow. She could feel the stickiness of her fluids cling to the fur around her vag. Her breath was hot and heavy as she watched Nick bring them to his nose and heard him take a deep inhalation of the scent of her juices.

The scent triggered something deep within Nick's mind, heart, body, and soul. It was honestly terrifying to him. Never before had he ever felt such a powerful instinctive drive to claim someone else as his lifemate. Nick wasn't even aware that he had begun to snarl and drool as he opened his eyes to look at the very receptive doe under him. His brain, naturally wired for vixen hormones, purged itself of all former scent memories as it registered the scent of Judy's arousal as that of his mate. The memories of his former flings and girlfriends were expunged from his mind. The only female that existed at the center of Nick's own personal reality was this doe, his Judy.

Judy's eye dilated to their maximum capacity in arousal as she watched him toss her panties off to the side, the pupils of his eyes primal slits instead of the roundness of a civilized mammal. She laid herself out, spread-eagled before her tod, showing him everything that was his. "Come on, pup. Don't keep me waiting. I don't like waiting." Judy squealed in rapture as Nick all but dove between her legs, lapping at the overflowing honey seeping from her pussy. Unlike last time, she could feel him slowly go deeper into her core with his thick, rough tongue.

His exploration of her inner walls revealed something to Nick that he had been skeptical about for a while. ' _Her hymen is still intact!_ ' he thought to himself in disbelief. She had told him that she was a virgin, but a part of his mind, the speciest, stereotypical portion of it, hadn't believed her. ' _I'm her first. I'm going to be her first and her last._ ' The thought forced him to pull away to gazed in wonder at his Judy. ' _She's really never had anyone else._ '

Having been right on the cusp of reaching her first orgasm of the evening, Judy was a bit miffed when Nick removed his tongue from her caverns. She wanted to glare at him, but the sad expression on his muzzle stopped her. "Hey? You okay?" she asked softly. Judy watched as Nick seemed to shrink in on himself. "Nick?"

"Y-you've…" Nick swallowed. "You've really never been with anyone before." His words were so soft, almost a whisper of wind, that unless one was a bunny they wouldn't have heard them. "I…I'll be your first."

Judy maneuvered herself close to Nick and hugged him in a strong embrace. "I already told you that, Slick." she murmured. "I guess it really is difficult to believe isn't it?" Judy felt Nick return the hug. "Do you want to talk about it? I have no problem hearing about your past experiences. After all, I have no place to be angry since they were pretty much before…this, us."

Nick nuzzled his nose into the crook of Judy's neck and shoulder. He didn't want to put Judy through that. This, them, was so much more than all of his previous sexual encounters. She was so much more. This doe had his heart, his soul, within her tiny paws in such a strong, vicelike grip that it was impossible for anyone to pry them from her. He felt his world darken as thoughts of some of his former flings crept into his mind. Would they hurt her? No, Nick would never let that happen. He took a deep breath through his nose, taking in Judy's calming scent, and felt his world illuminate again. "That's a rather long list, Judy." Nick whispered. "Are you sure you want to hear about all of them?"

"Tell me, Nick." Judy replied just as softly, as she nuzzled his cheek affectionately. "As I said, I have no right to be angry, but I'll admit I'm a bit jealous that I won't be your first." The words drew a long, pained whine and whimper from her fox. "Hush now. It's okay." Judy comfortingly stroked Nick's ears to try and calm him down. When he did, she placed a tender, loving kiss to his lips. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, Nick. I just thought I'd offer."

Unable to handle how understanding Judy was, Nick released a heavy sigh. "M-my first time isn't a happy memory, Judy. It was nightmarish in nature. I really can't tell exactly how horrendous it was for me." He guided them as they fell on their sides onto the mattress below them. "It was my 17th birthday and Finn wanted to celebrate what he called the right way. He took me to a sex club out in the Nocturnal District's Red-Light Sector. It's not an area most are willing to go unless they're looking for a 'good time', if you catch my meaning."

Nick's voice started to sound distant as he started to reexperience the events of that night within the confines of his mind.

"It started off so well. Finn was purchasing drinks for us at the bar, I was sitting at a table waiting for him. I looked older than I was, but that didn't matter there. There were mammals younger that I was sitting not too far away engaging in intercourse in plain sight of everyone else in the club. Male and female employees worked totally nude, showing themselves off to the clientele as if marketing their bodies. One seemed so familiar, but I couldn't place her for the life of me. We locked eyes and she smiled at me, making me feel excited that a vixen was willing to bother looking at me that way. Finn arrived with our drinks and the two of us started tossing drinks back. From there everything's a little hazy. I remember the vixen subtly approaching, offering me a roll in the sheets. I can recall Finn telling her that I had just turned 17 and her excitement at being the one to take my virginity. I remember following her into one of the club's private rooms, the vixen providing me with some powdery substance, telling me to snort it. After that, I can remember everything we did, every position, every act. My next memory is waking up cuddled to the vixen. When she opened her eyes, I finally realized why it felt like I knew her." In a voice so low that he didn't even know if Judy could hear, Nick whispered, "It wasn't really her, but the vixen looked just like my mother."

Judy didn't know how to react to hearing that. Clearly there were mammals that appeared strikingly similar to others, but to her that Nick's first time was with someone that reminded him of his mother. She couldn't imagine what ran through his mind when his brain made that connection.

'Disgusted, revulsed, and appalled most likely.' Judy thought to herself. 'I'd guess that anyone would if they found themselves in such a situation. I don't know how I'd react if something like that happened to me.'

"I was so disgusted with myself." Nick continued, unaware of Judy's internal conflict. "I kicked her out of bed, shouted at her. The poor vixen had no idea what was happening. I didn't see her as someone else. I could only see me as my mother. The entire time she looked at me like I was some escapee from an insane asylum. Finally, I asked her if she recognized who I was, but of course she said no. I broke out in maniacal laughter at that. I told her who I was, and she ran away like the Envoy of Hell was after her. After that, it just all went down hill from there. I eventually slept with every vixen in the area, as if trying to erase the fact that I fucked a vixen that looked like my own mother. I slept with mothers of young kits to those of just barely legal age. I had a few actual girlfriends during that time. I even tried to drown the memories in alcohol and fry my memories of that evening with drugs. Nothing worked until Finn got me professional help. I went through hundreds of hours of therapy before I realized none of it was truly my fault. Finn even admitted later that his decision wasn't the greatest idea he ever had and apologized. Finn and I originally stayed friends out of necessity, but over time I forgave him." Resting his cheek atop Judy's head, Nick said, "Then I met you. Somehow, over the course of 48 hours, I found myself captivated by a bunny. We later separated for three months because of our own stupidity, but the two of us eventually reconciled. Yet, for those three months, I never had a one-night stand, nor did I enter another relationship with anyone, all because I had fallen in love with a bunny."

Unable to stop herself, Judy locked lips with Nick in a deep, passionate kiss. "I was in a very bad place during those three months too." Judy whispered. "On more than one occasion, my parents would tell me that they were afraid I'd go out the same way as my mom's dad. Bunnies can die from depression over losing a loved one. They tried everything they could think of to bring me out of my funk. They set up dates, paid for dinners with old friends, nothing worked. I was pining over the loss of the one mammal that I had come to view as a worthy mate, and it was literally killing me. After everything that happened that brought us back together, I decided that since you would probably never see me in that light then I'd just be happy to be with you for as long as I was capable."

"We're two pretty broken mammals, aren't we, Judy" Nick asked quietly, after a couple of seconds. "We're broken when apart, but when together we are whole." He felt her nod into his chest then heard her yawn. "Let's go to sleep. We were fortunate that Buffalo Butt was kind enough to give us today as an extra day off, but we've got work tomorrow evening."

The two drifted off to sleep fairly quickly, wrapped in each other's arms.

Unbeknownst to them, just outside, on the fire escape, sat a jackrabbit with black tiger stripes, holding a bouquet of purple tulips. On his face was a sad smile. _'You were too late, ya old fool. She's found someone else. Someone who obviously means more to her than you.'_ the jackrabbit thought to himself. Quickly racing to the roof, he met with an arctic vixen who seemed to be waiting for him.

"Did you see her?" the arctic vixen asked.

"Nope." the jackrabbit replied. "She's found someone else. But surprisingly, I'm happy for her. Never thought I'd feel that way about a situation like this."

"Hm." the white-furred vixen hummed. "Well, you ready to go see our old friend? I think he's staying at the Palm Casino and Hotel."

"Yep. Let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

Pre-Chapter Author's Note:

"Do not mistake my words as the rantings and ravings of a lunatic madman,

For I know of what and which I speak.

You think yourself intelligent and wise?

I possess the experience born of life which spans infinite eternities.

Listen well, for these words hold a lesson you must learn.

Be not afraid of your future, for it is not set in stone and can therefore change.

It is your past that you must fear above all else.

Try and escape it if you think you are capable of it.

You will soon see that it is a futile effort, a waste of your time.

What's done is done, you say?

Nay, that is a lie.

You can't outrun your past.

It shall always come back to haunt you.

History shall repeat itself endlessly.

I have born witness to the truth of that.

I have witnessed empires rise.

I have seen those same empires fall.

You think me mad?

Do you not recognize me?

I'm the one to whom you once swore allegiance.

You betrayed me.

Now, I have come for you.

I told you, fear your past.

Now, your past has caught up to you."

-Unknown Author.

Chapter Seven: Movements within the Shadows

Judy's Apartment

Judy woke with a gasp and shot up, looking around frantically before her eyes landed upon the fox sleeping peacefully next to her. The longer she looked at Nick, the more it dawned on the doe that it had only been a nightmare. She extended a paw to reach out and stroke the fur of his muzzle but hesitated then withdrew it.

Carefully, so as not to wake Nick from his slumber, Judy got out of bed and silently headed into the adjoining bathroom. She climbed the small step to gaze at herself in the mirror. _'I look, and feel, horrible.'_ Judy thought to herself as the doe examined her reflection. Closing her eyes, Judy found she could still see that haunting image her mind had conjured. Releasing a nearly inaudible, choked sob, Judy let the tears fall. Hugging herself, she mentally asked, _'Why? After all this time, why am I beginning to suffer from the nightmares again?'_

Despite what Judy had thought, Nick had woken up at the same moment she had. It had simply taken him longer to rejoin the waking world. Now, he stood leaning against the bathroom door frame, looking at the doe worriedly. He could only imagine what she was experiencing.

This ordeal had started around the time they discovered the murdered bat in the trunk of that vehicle. Judy had had a breakdown right then and there. Chief Bogo had ordered that she visit the Precinct's psychotherapist for help. Judy had originally refused until Nick made the request himself, then she complied. Nick had even attended the sessions with her, to give her the support she needed. They had gone every single day after their shifts, and Precinct's psychotherapist had cleared Judy for duty.

Looking at Judy now, Nick realized that there was a distinct possibility that she hadn't entirely gotten over it. As quietly as he could, Nick positioned himself behind her so that Judy would see his reflection in the mirror when she raised her head again. It took a little longer than expected, but eventually Judy again looked at the mirror to see that he was right behind her.

"I'm sorry." Judy whispered, doing her best to wipe away her tears. "I didn't wake you, did I?" Turning on the faucet to wash her muzzle, Judy froze at what Nick did next.

"Judy."

It was so soft, like a whisper just on the edge of hearing, easily taken away by the wind. Judy choked upon realizing that Nick hadn't called her any of his patented 'Nick'-names but 'Judy', her given name. That plus how so utterly soft, tender, and concerned his voice was broke her.

Nick scooped the doe up into his arms as she began to break down in convulsive sobs. "Hush, now. I'm right here. I've got you. Just let it out." He could feel her shaking and held her tighter. Carrying Judy back to the bed, Nick set the doe down gently and leaned over her. "Talk to me." he whispered.

"I…I'm s-so s-so-sorry, N-Nick." Judy managed to sob out. "I…I d-do-don't know w-why…" She broke down again as the memory of the nightmare reentered her mind. Judy could still see it. Nick's corpse on full display with the cackling of the serial killer filling the air. The state of Nick's body varied: burnt, skinned, hacked up into pieces, and many other ways. Judy hadn't suffered from the nightmares for a while, thanks to the therapy sessions, but every once in a while, she'd have one.

"Shh. It's okay." Nick told her softly, laying a gentle peck on her forehead. "I'm here. Right here with you." Slowly, he took hold of one of her paws and placed it above his heart. "Feel that? I'm still here. I'm alive and I'm with you, here and now." The effect that had on Judy was incredible.

The sensation of Nick's heart beating under her paw grounded Judy into reality. _'He's here. I can feel his heartbeat. He's alive, and he's right here.'_ Judy stopped crying long enough to look at him fully. 'His eyes.' That look in Nick's eyes as his focus centered on her, it was fully of love and concern. Her arms began to move without her brain's consent. Finding the sides of Nick's muzzle, Judy pulled him into a kiss, one that was neither passionate nor was it chaste.

Nick reciprocated the kiss. Through it, he could feel everything that Judy was desperately trying to convey to him. Instinctually, Nick growled into their kiss, and was rewarded with the smell of Judy's arousal. Pulling away, he dug his nose into her neck, snuffling around. "You smell so good." he whispered. Nick accentuated his words with a lap of his tongue atop where her neck pulsed.

A breathless chuckle escaped Judy's lips before she said, "There's probably a joke that I could make about a fox finding a bunny doe's scent arousing, but I can't seem to come up with one." She gasped feeling Nick pressed his body down on top of her. The feeling was electrifying.

He could feel his cock hardening as Judy's scent filled his nose. 'Yeah. There probably is a joke somewhere, but I can't think of one either.' He inhaled his doe's scent deeply, making sure to imprint it within his mind, not ever wanting to forget it.

Deep within Nick's mind, he could feel that beast awakening. He could practically hear it demanding to be set free, to be allowed to claim its rightful lifemate. It thrashed around, trying to break free of its confines. Nick fought back, telling it that now was not the time. The beast begrudgingly conceded but swore that Nick would soon give in and set it free.

When Nick returned to reality, he noticed that Judy was panting in need underneath him. That beast within him had caused Nick to enter something of a fugue state, one that had his actions emulate his inner beast. Nick heard Judy whine as he pulled himself away from her. Gazing down at her, Nick swore to himself that she was a goddess in mortal form. She was his goddess, and she would be his undoing.

A quick glance at the clock on the nightstand told Nick they had just over two hours before meeting back up with his dad. Leaning close to Judy's ear, he whispered, "Tell me what you want me to do. Command me, Judy, my mistress." Before his eyes, Nick watched as the words caused a shift in his doe. She looked at him with eyes that smoldered with lust, passion, and, in the deepest depths, truly unconditional love.

"Strip." Judy ordered. She watched as Nick rid himself of the only article of sleepwear on his body, his pajama shorts. Judy then witnessed as her fox sat on the heels of his hindpaws, erection prominently on display for her. "On all fours." she commanded.

Obeying Judy's instruction, Nick got onto all fours, reminiscent of a fox from ancient times. He watched her as she got close enough to smooth the fur of his muzzle and rub his ears affectionately. He released a noise that was too rough to be a purr yet too soft to be a growl, more of a rumble than anything else. The tod felt her stubby, dullish claws begin to rake down his form as she moved around behind him.

"Now, raise your tail." Judy saw the shiver that passed through her fox at her demand. She wondered what he'd think if he knew what she had planned. A part of her felt that she hadn't really repaid him for the wonderful experience they had only a couple of days ago. This, here and now, was when she'd do just that.

For Nick, hearing Judy tell him that, it brought to mind all the vixens he had previously rutted. It had always been he who gave that order. Never had it been he on the receiving end. Regardless, Judy, his doe, his mistress, had told him to raise his tail for her. So, he did. Lifting his tail, Nick was now fully on display for her, nothing was hidden anymore.

Giving Nick a scratch to his flank, Judy gave a hum of appreciation. That greyish crater of Nick's anus was the center of the doe's attention. Judy felt her own flex, recalling the sensation of Nick's tongue within it. Now, she clearly wasn't equipped with a tongue as large or as long as his, but that wasn't going to stop her. During what free time she had had, Judy had sped-read through a bunch of forums and chatrooms, looking for advice. One entry had caught her attention, written by a female mongoose whose boyfriend was a hippopotamus.

Sensually massaging Nick's ass-cheeks, Judy slowly parted them to get a better view of his puckering hole. With her thumbs, she tested to see the elasticity it already possessed. It wasn't much, but it was more than she anticipated. "You made me cum with my ass." she whispered sultrily. "This time I'm going to make you cum from yours."

A shiver of arousal was felt by Nick at hearing Judy's intentions. His dick throbbed in anticipation of it happening. He was about to speak when the sensation of something wet began to slowly trace the muscular ring of his tailhole. Nick gasped, feeling his anus clench tight. Lowering his head to the mattress, the tod did his best to relax himself.

There was a wicked smile on Judy's face as she again lightly traced Nick's anus with her tongue. The whine that reached her ear emanating from Nick told her what she needed to know. Her pussy was dribbling her juices onto the sheets with how aroused she was.

The relationship between the doe and the tod was a bizarre one, if both were honest with themselves and each other. They knew one another's likes, dislikes, habits, and other such things. Not once had they ever spent a day off without the other. For all intents and purposes, Nick and Judy had always been a couple.

As such, Judy had no qualms about what she was currently doing, rimming Nick's anus. She knew that Nick was a very hygienic mammal, one who always made sure to wash himself thoroughly. This knowledge came from having observed her fox since realizing the attraction she had for him. Nick constantly kept his fur sleek, shiny, and well groomed. Even now, Judy could feel how soft his coat was underpaw. His teeth were pristinely white, as if made of ivory. The additional muscle tone that he had gained at the police academy didn't hurt either. Just thinking about how this prime specimen of a vulpine male was all her own had Judy's mind whirling with desire.

Still, the doe didn't let up the ministrations she was lavishing upon her fox. It couldn't have been more than maybe thirty seconds before Judy heard him let out a yip. She felt him convulse and realized that he had hit his climax but couldn't release without his knot receiving attention. So, she gave the bulbous organ a tentative squeeze.

Nick's mind reverted to a more primal state at the sensation of Judy squeezing his knot. Letting loose a powerful yelp as he started shooting his seed onto the sheets underneath him, Nick had to hold back the mating cry that threatened to escape his lips. Spurt after spurt of potent, virile fox seed shot from Nick's swollen cock, leaving the tod in a state of euphoria. The only thing his mind could imagine being better was if he was knot deep in Judy's snatch.

Witnessing the transformation that overtook Nick, Judy had to stifle a giggle at how cute her fox seemed in that moment. His tongue lolling out the side of his maw, tail puffed out and sticking straight up into the air, and the goofy grin upon his muzzle. Why she thought it was cute, Judy didn't know, but it was.

Finally, Nick finished unloading his cocked weapon and his limbs began to tremble as they tried to keep him from collapsing. The doe nudged her fox in his side, sending him tumbling in that direction. The sigh that escaped him had her smile. She then dragged a finger through his spent load and brought it to her lips. The tod watched her as she did this, a small smile on his lips.

"Do I taste better this time around?" Nick inquired. The sultry smirk that stretched across Judy's face was the only answer he needed. "How about my bum? Did you enjoy the taste of that?"

Scooching into and pressing herself up against him, Judy said, "Hate to break it to you, Slick, but I didn't get much of a taste. My tongue isn't long enough to really get in there for one." Then she gave him a deep kiss, tongues tangoing with each other as they swapped saliva. Pulling away, she asked, "See?"

Smacking his lips, Nick nodded. Another quick glance at the clock had him groaning. "Damnit. Didn't think I'd have a hair-trigger." Not a lot of time had passed, only five minutes. "We still have close to two hours before meeting my dad."

"Two hours, huh." Judy mused, looking at the ceiling. There were a bunch of thoughts flitting around in her head. One of them was Nick's mother. From what Senior had told them, she had struggled a lot with insecurities and paranoia. Nick's own description of her hadn't painted the vixen in a flattering light. Judy wondered what she was really like. As a cop, it was common knowledge eyewitness statements had an incredible tendency to be wrong. Plus, the way Nick and his father described her was biased. The doe decided what they would do with those two hours. "Are you up for a trip to the cemetery, Slick?"

The question caught him completely off-guard, but Nick answered, "Yeah. I think I'd like that." Nick and Judy quickly got out of bed, showered, and dressed in some business casual type clothes. It only made sense to dress respectively. They were, after all, visiting the final resting place of Nick's mother. Nick looked at himself in the mirror as he struggled to get his tie just right.

"Here. Let me do it, Slick." Judy told him, grabbing his tie. With practiced ease, it was a flawless Windsor knot. "There. All set." she whispered. Giving Nick a pat on his chest, Judy looked up into those emerald-green eyes of his. They seemed to glow with adoration, and yet there was a sadness that dimmed them within them as well. "Let's go."

Hailing a taxi, they were on their way to the cemetery. The trip didn't take too long, or at least that's how it seemed. When they arrived, their eyes took notice of a funeral procession happening some ways away. To not draw attention to themselves, Nick and Judy walked around the edges of the graveyard until they reached the location of a small stone plaque in the ground.

The plaque wasn't spectacular. In fact, they almost missed it with how much shrubbery covered and hid it. It was simplistic, only having her name, Katharine de la Vulpa-Wilde, and the dates of her birth and death. No extra decorations adorned it.

Kneeling in front of his mother's plaque, Nick whispered, "Hi, Mom. I should probably have visited sooner, but I…" He trailed off, not knowing what he was supposed to say. "I'm a cop now. I've also got the best partner on the force. She's here with me." Gesturing for Judy to come kneel next to him, he continued. "Her names Judy Hopps. Yes, she a bunny, and a doe on top of that. Even so, there's no one else I'd rather have watching my back." He then went on to tell her a pawful of stories from their time on the beat while Judy just listened.

They stayed like that, Nick just talking, Judy listening, until the alarm Nick set on his watch went off, telling them it was time to go. Nick stood, saying, "I'll come back to visit. I don't know when it'll be, but I promise I'll come back." It was at that moment, something special happened.

The city of Zootopia hadn't had any real sunlight in days. Dark clouds had plagued the city the entire duration of the past couple of days. The moment Nick's words left his lips, the clouds parted gracing the city in natural sunlight for the first time in ages. For Nick, he hoped that this was some kind of sign that his mother had heard and accepted his promise.

Taking ahold of each other's paw, Nick and Judy began making the trek towards the rendezvous point where they were going to meet Senior. Neither noticed that just a few meters away, dressed from head to toe in black, an unidentifiable mammal watched them. The figure brought the lit cigarette held in its paw to its lips. Partaking a long drag, the mammal flicked the cigarette muttering incomprehensibly to himself before disappearing from the area.

 **Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Sr.'s Hotel Room**

A groan of an old mammal feeling his age filled the room as Nicholas Piberius Wilde Sr. rolled over onto his back from his side. Cracking open an eye, the old tod found himself looking at the expressionless mask being worn by one ZBI Senior Supervisory Special Agent Skye Glacier [Pronunciation: Glossy-eh]. Well, almost expressionless. The arctic vixen did have an eyebrow quirked, but otherwise, it was totally expressionless. "If you're here, then ZIA Agent Savage can't be too far behind." Nicholas Senior stated in observation.

"We've got a problem." Skye informed. "There was another attack. The victim is the aunt of the bat your son and Officer Hopps found in the trunk of that vehicle a few weeks ago." She watched as the old tod sat up, his back popping multiple times while doing so. "Have you ever heard of chiropractors?"

Releasing a bark of laughter, Nicholas Sr. retorted, "Oh, yeah. I'm totally going to one of those mammals who'll charge me $80 for an hour. I'm old, SSSA Glacier, not stupid." Getting out of bed, the tod didn't care that she could see everything. He never wore anything when turning in for the night. Although, the fact that despite his advanced age he was sporting morning wood did cause him to smile once he saw her glance away. "Why're you embarrassed? I'm the one who's naked."

"Sh-shut up." Skye told him tossing one of the pillows at him. "Get dressed. Your son and his partner should be here soon."

Chuckling, Senior's ear twitched at hearing the toilet in his bathroom flush. He saw the door open and the jackrabbit exit from within. "Morning, Jack."

"Oh, for the love of…put some clothes on ya old tosser." Jack told him, hitting him with the same pillow that Skye had thrown at him but missed. Seeing the older tod maneuver his way towards his closet, Jack shuddered at the sight of the attire he was planning on wearing. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. No, you are not wearing that."

Senior gave them both a smug smirk. "I'll wear what I like thank you. If I want to wear these godawful Pawaiian shirts, I do believe that I shall." The shirt was baby blue with baby pink palm trees. "Besides, I'm sure Nick's dying to know wear he got his atrocious taste in fashion."

The three then exited the room and entered the elevator down the hall. Senior sang along with the elevator music, much to the annoyance of his company. When the doors opened, he snickered as Skye and Jack took off running towards the main entrance. As for himself, he took his time. They still had a bit of time before the three of them were scheduled to meet with Junior and Judy. Looking at the sky, Nicholas Sr. marveled that it was getting clearer. It had been such a dreary gray from the blanket of clouds for so long that he hadn't realized how much he missed the light blue colour. A few meters in front of the tod, Skye and Jack busied themselves with conversation.

"What are you going to say when you see her?" Skye asked Jack. "You know she'll ask questions. How do you plan on answering them?"

"I have no earthly idea, honestly." Jack replied. "I mean, we had a good thing going then I ruined it by leaving. Plus, there's no doubt in my mind that it'd be pointless trying to compete with Nicholas Jr. From what little I managed to hear, she won't bother looking at another male than him."

Huffing in amusement, Skye teased, "Oh, poor little buck. The girl of your dreams has been taken by another." She chortled a bit before Jack socked her one in the arm. "Okay, ow. Jackass."

"Kits, behave yourselves." Nicholas Sr. ordered teasingly. They stopped, whipped their heads around, and gave him death glares. He just continued along his way, unabashed. If honest with himself, Nicholas Sr. saw both of them as his adopted kits.

Jack was his first rescue. Originally living on the streets, Senior had nabbed the jackrabbit trying to pilfer his wallet. Instead of turning him into the local police force, Senior had taken him back to his place to clean him up, which was when the tod discovered the stripes were real, fed him, and gave him a stern lecture. He had become the young jackrabbit buck's legal guardian by pure chance. Jack took the last name Savage in his honor, something Senior had found hilarious. The real reason why the jackrabbit thought it honored him escaped the tod. Senior had trained Jack after the jackrabbit expressed the desire to join the ZIA. It was a couple of years later, during a joint investigation that led back to the JTR serial killings that the two came across Skye Glacier.

Skye's background was a lot worse than Jack's. Born and raised on the streets of Purris, the arctic vixen had once been subjected to conditions of nightmarish natures. As a kit, she was kitnapped, auctioned, and pimped out to the upper echelons of society from the age of 12. It was in the middle of an undercover stint of their investigation that Senior and Jack discovered her, a 14-year-old turning tricks for petty cash. They saved her, brought her home, and assimilated her into their bizarre familial unit. Skye started training for the ZBI around her 16th birthday, saying that if Jack could be a teen superspy, she could too.

The two had formed a rather eccentric bond afterwards. Skye would use Jack's real name, Jackson Buckley, when berating him. Likewise, Jack would call her 'Ice Princess' when doing the same. Without having any real relation, the two became siblings in all but blood. It often fell to Nicholas Sr., as the adult, to fill the role of father figure. The old tod guessed it was his desire to be back home raising Junior that prompted creating this little family. Senior shook his head as Jack and Skye went back to behaving like young kits.

Le Jardin d'Eden, or the Garden of Eden, was the site where the two groups would rendezvous. A little café that catered to both predators and prey, it was well suited for their needs. Nicholas Sr. entered, followed closely by Skye and Jack. After a very short conversation with the maître d', they were led to a corner booth where Nick Jr. and Judy were already awaiting them.

"Jackson?" Judy asked in surprise at seeing the buck. "What are you doing here?" The last time she had seen him was when he told her goodbye before disappearing from her life entirely.

"I, uh, I…" Jack couldn't get the tiny speech he had prepared on the walk over out of his maw. Inhaling deeply, he let it out and said, "I'm the ZIA asset Wilde Sr. was supposed to tell you about last night. Judging by that greeting he didn't." He sent a glare in the direction of the older tod, who simply shrugged.

Sidling into the booth, Skye batted her lashes at Nick, who then flipped her off and pulled Judy closer to him. Snorting softly, Skye made a mental note not to even bother trying. If he didn't fall for her from her little action just now, it wasn't worth her time. A nudge from Jack, accompanied by a scowl, told her that he didn't take kindly to what she had just done.

Once everyone was seated, their waitress came over. To the surprise of both Nick and Judy, it was Samantha, the vixen from the bar they had joined their colleagues at weeks ago. She didn't seem to look like herself, having none of her former accessories.

' _She got dumped.'_ Nick deduced after a moment. He had seen it before, even caused it a few times himself. Vixens didn't take well when the tod they were with broke things off. There was probably something to say about it. About how if a tod knotted a vixen it was all over, but a vixen could still go around rutting multiple males, taking their knots, and not feeling obligated to them. Nick's mother had proven that.

"What can I get you all?" Samantha inquired, mechanically. She couldn't bring herself to even look at Nick or Judy. The sight of the older tod at the table, one who appeared almost like an anachronistic future Nick had her focus solely on the arctic vixen the entire time. Her life had gone down hill ever since the night of the bar party. Her todfriend had dumped her, kicked her out of their apartment, and left her high and dry when word reached him that she had tried bedding the Nick Wilde. She didn't know who was responsible, but it wasn't as if there was anything she could say in her defense. Thankfully, they recited their orders rather quickly, after which Samantha left to turn them in and go tend to her other tables.

"Let's get down to business, shall we?" Senior stated. "How much do you know about the Apex Omnivore? What information are you missing?"

"We only know what the profiler at the ZBI told us." Judy answered. "Other than that, we don't really know anything. There was so little evidence collected back then, we have almost nothing."

Jack tapped away on his mobile. Hitting send, a chime from across the table could be heard. Judy pulled her phone out to see she had a text from him with an attachment before giving him a look. "I never got rid of your contact info in my phone." Jack admitted. "I had hoped that I'd get to see you again and mend our relationship. I see now that's never gonna happen."

"Damn straight." Nick muttered, just loud enough for them all to hear. He felt Judy pat his leg and gave her waist a squeeze, using the paw he had on it from when he pulled her closer after Skye's flirtation. "This doe's mine, Stripes. Go find another."

Nicholas Senior kicked his son under the table. "Nicky, behave yourself before Judy whips your ass." He watched as his son looked over at his doe to see the death glare being sent his way and wince. "Now then. If I'm not mistaken, that text has everything the ZIA has on the Apex Omnivore, combined with Interpol's data." Gesturing at Skye, he said, "Skye here works for the ZBI. She'll be our liaison with their home office. Jack will be the same, but for the ZIA." Pulling a toothpick from his pocket, he stuck it in his maw, saying, "This morning, another victim was discovered. It's the aunt of that bat you two found in the trunk weeks ago. She's alive, but just barely. We'll run by the hospital after going to the crime scene. I hope you both have experience with the Nocturnal District."

 **Precinct One**

Chief Bogo felt as if though he was drowning. The world, despite the sunlight, seemed far darker to him now that another victim of the Apex Omnivore was rushed to Emergency Surgery that morning. After hosting a conference call with the other precinct chiefs, Bogo really wanted a drink. The drawback was it would end his weeklong sobriety. Sighing, he stood and walked towards the evidence board.

The photographs that covered the damn thing were mostly black and white, hailing from before coloured photographs. These images weren't on the main evidence board, being far too gruesome. Even he had a difficult time stomaching the sight of them. The buffalo didn't like the idea that such a sadistic killer lived and walked among those who called Zootopia home.

Clawhauser entered Chief Bogo's office, carrying another file full of photos from the most recent crime scene. Wolford had covered the shift for another wolf who fell ill and ended up getting the call. The pictures were definitely going to leave both the cheetah and wolf with nightmares for a long time. They'd probably need to schedule sessions with the precinct's psychotherapist too.

"Chief?" Clawhauser said in a soft voice. "I've got the photos you requested of the assault on Mrs. Batsarab." He placed the folder on the Chief's desk. "You're going to want to set yourself an appointment with the psychotherapist afterwards."

"Thank you, Clawhauser." Bogo replied, not taking his eyes off the evidence board. "I'll look at them in a bit." He hated this, feeling useless when the inhabitants of his city needed him the most. However, he and his subordinates were doing their best. It was just that their best wasn't good enough.

"Sir," Clawhauser began. "Please don't beat yourself up over this. No one even imagined that this case would ever get reopened. How was anyone to know that the killings would start up again after all this time?"

A heavy, tired sigh escaped Bogo. He knew Clawhauser was right. The resurgence of the killings was something that caught everyone by surprise. The first murder took place three months, one week, and five days ago. Bogo had mental notes to remember the exact day each murder occurred. The first victim was killed while in solitary confinement. Of course, no one bothered crying over the death of Dawn Bellwether, but it was still a crime that needed to be investigated. The second victim had surfaced three months and two days ago. The victim, Henrietta Moley [Mow-Lay], was recovered from a bowl of soup at a high-end restaurant. The soup had been the Mayor's own order, prompting the investigation to get prioritized. The third victim was when the realization of who was committing the murders hit them.

The cheetah stood watching the unmoving buffalo for a couple of minutes before making his way back to the reception desk. There was a couple of mammals that surrounded it: Wolford, Fangmeyer, Bernhard Hotch, and Marcus. Clawhauser slipped back into his seat and managed to catch the last bits of conversation.

"You don't think…."

"I mean, it'd make sense wouldn't it?"

"But…Interspecies?"

"They are always together, both on the job and off it."

Clawhauser dreaded what would probably be said if it was revealed that Nick and Judy were indeed in an intimate, romantic relationship. Every single cop knew that Bernhard was desperately trying to seduce Judy and had been since he got assigned to Precinct One. Clawhauser had even told the buck it was pointless, but of course, his words went in one ear and out the other.

Wolford and Fangmeyer were very open about their sexual preferences. It was actually why they were no longer allowed to work as partners. The wolf and tigress had sat through the long, grueling process of IAB interviewing them just to remain assigned at Precinct One together. Outside of a select few, which included Clawhauser, no one knew of their relationship, or even the fact they lived together. As for Marcus, he seemed to possess a very opened mind when it came such topics. Clawhauser didn't ask why, he was just thankful that the Siberian Husky didn't take an anti-interspecies stand.

"Nope. No way. There's just no way that Hopps is even remotely interested in Wilde sexually." Bernhard stated, matter-of-factly. Crossing his arms, the buck nodded to himself, saying, "She's just playing hard to get. I'll eventually…" He didn't get to finish as Marcus whacked him so hard upside the back of his head.

"Bernie," Marcus began, voice so devoid of emotion that it frightened them. "Shut the fuck up already and get it through your goddamn thick skull that Hopps would rather die old and alone than rut you. There ain't a snowball's chance in Hell that she'll accept you as anything other than a colleague. If you keep this up, I'll help Wilde skin your ass. Capiche?"

Bernhard shrank in on himself as the others nodded in agreement. "But…" He was silenced by the collective death glare that they all directed at him.

"Didn't know you're accepting of interspecies couples, Marcus." Wolford stated.

"I don't understand it, but that don't mean I can't accept it." Marcus replied with a shrug. "If they're happy, who am I to say different. Besides, I was there when Wilde forced the Chief into submission. I ain't got no desire to end up like that."

A shudder ran through everybody except Hotch, who hadn't witnessed it.

Although, thinking back on it, what had caused Wilde's transformation was the Chief's threat towards Hopps. That should have clued them all in on Wilde's protectiveness towards her. In retrospect, it made the fact that Bernhard was still alive something of a miracle. Hopps hadn't seen the sparring match either since at the time she was dealing with a bunch of backlogged paperwork that was way overdue.

"You know," Wolford started saying. "I wish there was footage of it. That way, Bernhard could see how lucky he is to still be walking around."

"You could roll back the security footage." Clawhauser interjected. When everyone glanced at him, he clarified, "All you got to do is sign the tape out. Just make sure you return it. Bogo reviews that tape more often than his other sparring bouts."

Marcus grabbed Bernhard and made his way to do just that. Wolford and Fangmeyer stayed with Clawhauser, thanking the cheetah when he offered them each a donut. There wasn't really much to do. The night shift officers would be clocking out soon, only to be replaced with the day shift. Two months remained before the shifts swapped back. Everyone was ready for it to happen but knew it would be a pain to readjust their schedules once more.

"So, if it turns out that Hopps and Wilde are a thing, do either of you have any ideas on what we should do?" Fangmeyer asked, speaking for the first time since Clawhauser came back. "I mean, they're the first interspecies couple that transverses the boundaries of predator and prey. I haven't seen any other pred/prey couples."

"Because they have to hide better than we do." Wolford told her. "It's like the most forbidden taboo there is. Plus, think about this: Nick's a fox and Judy's a bunny. Their species are natural enemies. Add that to being a potential pred/prey couple and you're looking at the biggest targets you can imagine for hate, bigotry, and other similar reactions."

No one said anything after those words as they imagined what their friends would have to endure. Without saying anything, sharing only a glance between them, they agreed to protect their brother and sister in blue as best they could. The only question they had to deal with now was how to close the JTR serial killer case once and for all.

 **Nocturnal District**

Fear.

That's what Vlad felt.

Fear, uncertainty, insecure, take your pick. Or, pick all of them.

The bat had returned to find police at his residence. His heart had nearly stopped beating realizing the error in his decision to leave her alone. The cops hadn't said anything as they investigated the scene. Vlad couldn't do anything but stand off to the side, out of their way. He wanted to rush to the hospital, to be with his wife, but fear of what they would find kept him paralyzed in place.

'They can't know the truth.' Vlad told himself mentally. 'They cannot learn of my involvement. If they do, everything I've ever done will be for nothing.'

Now, as he stood gazing down at the eviscerated form of his mate, Vlad wondered if it wasn't already for nothing. He couldn't tear his eyes away. She looked so fragile, so delicate, as if she would disappear if his eyes left her.

The doctor's words raced through his mind for the nth time in the last half hour.

"Near exsanguination."

"Multiple compound fractures throughout most of her body."

"She'll never fly again. Her wings are beyond reconstructive surgery."

"Coma."

Tears fell from Vlad's eyes ceaselessly. It could always be traced back to that bloody night. The night that Vlad had tried to erase from his memory. 'You can't outrun your past. It'll always catch up with you.' To Vlad, more truer words couldn't be said about his situation.

The doctor had to request that he leave, not wanting him to see the full extent of the damage as they changed and redressed her wounds. Vlad didn't have the will to argue. So instead, he flew home, hoping that the cops hadn't uncovered the items which would seal his fate.

Entering his study, Vlad stood before the large mirror. Grabbing one of the nearby candlesticks, the vampire bat smashed it repeatedly against the mirror until it shattered, revealing the entrance to a small room. Stepping through, Vlad swallowed thickly as his eyes adjusted to the nigh-nonexistent light coming from behind him.

Piles of dusty old books littered the room's floor and the desk within. Vlad took one look at them then proceeded to search for the journal that contained all the information he'd need. His phone started ringing, and at first, he was going to ignore it. However, a quick glance at the Caller ID had him answer. "Did he get to you as well?"

"If you're asking that then he's already gotten to you too." the coarse voice on the other end replied. "We need to meet with the others. How soon can you get here?"

"I'll take the first transport out." Vlad answered. "How is he not dead yet? You were the only one who ever had direct contact with him. Why didn't you see anything that indicated he was capable of this?"

"I don't know, Vlad." the gravelly voice shouted. "If I knew that I wouldn't be shitting my pants right now. I don't know how I missed the signs. It's very possible there were none because he's a psychopathic sociopath."

A sound came from the other end of the line, one that Vlad couldn't place. It sounded like someone beating on a wall. He heard his old acquaintance shout something unintelligible.

"Look, Vlad. Get the first transport out. This is our problem, so we have to be the ones to deal with it. We can't let anyone else because it would mean the world would know what we've done. That cannot happen. May the Father of Understanding guide us."

The call ended with a loud, resounding 'CLICK'.

 **ZTA Monorail en route to Zootopia's Nocturnal District**

Nick and Judy were seated on one side of the monorail car with Nicholas Sr. and his entourage on the other. The group was en route to the Nocturnal District so that they could examine the crime scene. They had run by Precinct One for only a few minutes to inform Chief Bogo of their activities before heading out. The buffalo had shouted at them that they should have just called it in like normal officers then kicked them out of his office. Judy and Jackson were holding a civil conversation, but Nick found it amusing the level of animosity his doe was projecting solely at the buck, who wouldn't even meet her gaze.

Turning his attention to Ms. Glacier, Nick watched as she mouthed what she was reading from the file in her paws. The folder contained the primary findings of the crime scene they were on their way to visit. From what Nick could tell, it seemed as if though the arctic vixen was used to males falling for her. Nick wouldn't call her a slut, but more like a femme fatale who flaunted what she had to get what she wanted. The knowledge she was a ZBI agent didn't necessarily help her image as an enforcer of the law.

When he glanced at his father, Nick noticed that he was doing a crossword puzzle that looked as if though it was cut out of a newspaper. Nick couldn't help wondering what his dad's relationship was with his two companions. Had he been replaced? Or, had his father tried to fill the void in his heart created by the fact that he wasn't there for Nick when he desperately wanted to be?

Judy nudged Nick's side causing him to look at her. She gave her fox a concerned expression, noting the sadness in his eyes. The doe wanted to kiss him, hold him tight, and tell him everything was going to be alright. However, she couldn't, not while on the monorail in front of potentially biased, bigoted mammals. So, she settled for giving his tail, which was wrapped around her waist, a comforting squeeze. It did wonders to Nick's overall demeanor as he gave her a genuinely warm and tender smile.

"Arriving at the Nocturnal District ZTA Monorail Station." A feminine, electronic voice announced. "Please gather your items and prepare to disembark. If this is not your stop, please remain seated until we are back underway."

The Wilde Bunch stood and grabbed their things, which wasn't much, and got off the monorail. Skye tried to hail them a taxi, but her efforts proved futile. Nick, guiding Judy with a paw on her back, stepped up next to the arctic vixen and held out a paw with a folded, yet crisp $100 bill out. There was a loud screech of brakes being hit as a taxi came to a halt right in front of them.

"Gotta know how things work around here if you're planning on doing anything." Nick stated as he helped Judy inside the cab then got in himself.

Skye grumbled under her breath as she climbed in followed by Jack and Nicholas Sr. The older tod just shook his head while Jack rolled his eyes at Skye's kit-like response to realizing her looks wouldn't do a damn thing in her favor. Judy just shot the arctic vixen an apologetic look, which was ignored.

The journey to the address Nicholas Sr. had given the driver took roughly twenty to thirty minutes. Certain areas were congested by traffic causing the supposedly 15-minute trip to take longer. When they finally reached their destination, Nick gave the driver the hundred plus an extra twenty for getting them their quicker by using roads less traveled.

Staring at the home, Judy found herself a bit concerned by what they would find inside. Crime Scene Cleanup hadn't exactly had a chance to visit the place yet. Feeling Nick's paw on her shoulder, it gave her the courage to continue.

Blood painted the walls, furniture was broken, all sorts of signs indicating the victim fought back as best she could. It was truly a nauseating sight that welcomed them. The odor that permeated the abode was pungent, making them cringe at the smell. The most prominent was the scent of immolated flesh coming from the stovetop. This is where they found evidence that the JTR Mauler had cooked and eaten the flesh of Mrs. Batsarab's wings.

Moving carefully throughout the house, as not to disturb any potential evidence, everyone examined the area closely. Nicholas Sr. remained in the main room, which was the site most of it took place. The walls, painted with copious amounts of blood, still had photographs hanging on display. 'The sick fuck.' he thought, looking at the intricate designs made in the blood. 'It looks like an eye. As if he's saying that he's watching us.'

Skye and Jack each went into separate rooms, finding more evidence of a struggled having taken place. Snapping photos with their phones for comparison, they continued onto the next. Neither bothered to keep track of Nick nor Judy.

Nick didn't know what it was that drew him and Judy towards the master bedroom. It was like something was pulling them there, something ominous. They hesitated briefly in front of the door before opening it. The smell that assaulted their olfactory senses was putrid, causing them to gag strongly. Somehow keeping the small meal that they had just partaken within their stomachs, the tod and doe crossed the threshold.

Underneath the odor of decomposition, the smell of sex was identifiable. Nick puked into his maw a tiny bit upon realizing it. Together alongside Judy, he scrutinized every item in the room. The sheets which were on the bed were strewn about as if two mammals had rutted. The mental image had Nick make a mental note to see the psychotherapist with Judy before the doc left for the night. Blood coated almost everything, from the bedsheets to the walls, and even the ceiling fan, which creaked a bit as it slowly turned on it's lowest setting, splattering more blood everywhere.

"Nick. Come look at this." Judy stated, pointing at the television, which had a small post-it note that had the words 'Play Me ;)'. Judy wondered how it was possible that no one had seen it earlier. Then she realized that it was possible their quarry had returned and placed it.

Clicking the Play Button on the remote, Nick stood beside Judy as maniacal cackling echoed throughout the residence. He held onto her as it was soon accompanied by the wailing sobs of agony from a female. There was no real image, just audio, but that was enough to give birth to a much more frightening mental picture.

"Please." the female pleaded. "Please, stop. I beg of you. Please."

"Hmm. No." the voice of the JTR Mauler stated sadistically. "I was never given any mercy. Why should you receive special treatment? Because you're his wife? Nope. Sorry, darling. That ain't happening."

"Why? Why are you doing this?" the female sobbed.

"Why? Oh, that's a fun little story. Would you like to hear it? Yes? Oh, goodie, goodie, goodie. Story time! I love story time, and this one is my favorite. Ready? So, a long, long time ago, a young mammal was kidnapped and taken to a place where his worst nightmares were brought to life. The leader was never around to keep his minions in line. One such minion was a vampire bat named Vlad Batsarab, who oversaw the horrible things that happened there. He never got directly involved with the horrors, but his doing nothing only made things worse."

"Now, the young mammal that was kitnapped received brutal punishments. He was whipped, beaten, tortured, and pushed to the point of insanity. Over time these treatments became less and less effective. The young mammal killed one of his abusers then another and another. The cycle continued for a very, very long time, until things escalated."

"Years went by like the blink of an eye, and Vlad Batsarab, along with all his friends, were soon awarded for their perceived success in some experimental project they were doing concerning the young mammal and the others imprisoned there. Seeking revenge, the young mammal broke free from his cell and began to terrorize and slaughter everyone in sight. The facility was locked down. In order to escape, the mammal did something drastic: he blew the building and those nearby sky-high."

"No longer having a purpose in life, the young mammal, who had somehow survived, began to plan out how to get revenge on those who had done this to him. So, a-hunting he went. Traveling the world, he went on a killing spree, eliminating every single member of the group that he could find, saving Vlad for a place of honor. To Vlad, the young mammal was going to make him suffer everything that was done to him seven times over."

The female's screams began anew. The sounds that followed were easily identifiable as those of a cock pounding away at the sex of a female. The loud wet slurps forced Judy to cover her ears and bury her head into Nick's chest. The cackling and sounds of sadistic pleasure came almost immediately afterwards.

Back in the living room, Nicholas Sr. could hear everything coming from the television. His eyes focused on the one picture left untouched by blood. The photograph showed Vlad Batsarab and a whole team of researchers in white lab coats of varying species.

"I want you to always remember these words, my dear." JTR stated. "All this is your husband's fault. None of this had to happen. If only he hadn't pushed and pushed and pushed until the poor young mammal broke. What's happening to you, all the murders, here and overseas, all of it comes back to your precious husband."

Sr.'s eyes narrowed, glaring daggers at the picture of Vlad among his colleagues. He was looking at the face of, not the monster, but the mammal behind it. _'Now, all we need to do, is find you.'_ Sr. thought.

Post-Chapter Author's Note:

You're all probably wondering about the bizarre little thing at the beginning of this chapter. I stumbled across it by sheer chance and fell in love with it. Problem is that I can't remember where I came across it.

Anyway, it's important because I wanted to give you a sense of what to expect not in this chapter but the next.

The chapter following this one is titled 'History Repeats'.

I've got most of it written, meaning that it's finished and that I'm trying to clean it up.

'History Repeats' will begin with an opening segment in the present before going into a rather strange writing style.

The main body of the chapter is unique in that it interweaves multiple flashbacks from the time of the original murders and those of the current time.

The issue is making easy to identify which era is which and making it seem like one long, smooth sequence of events that are happening one after the other.

If the original murders were labeled 'A' and the current ones 'B' then the sequence would be read 'A''B''A''B''A''B''A''B' yet also be read as if it were the same letter all the way through.

It really is a challenge to pull off successfully. I hope I achieve it.

Regardless, the ending segment of 'History Repeats' will take place in the present, and we'll learn a bit about The Apex Omnivore/JTR Mauler/etc.

Until next time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Had some issues with formatting. It should be fixed now.**

Chapter Eight: History Repeats

 **Abandoned Church – The deepest recesses of the Nocturnal District**

Deep within the Nocturnal District, further than most dared tread anymore, was the burnt out, hollow shell of a church. Built of brimstone, the structure had survived the blaze that had claimed it, and those who had been inside, so long ago. If any still wandered the streets of that area, one would have been shocked to see the glow of candles emanating from with it.

The mammal inside, heavily clad from head to toe in black, stood before a cracked mirror, one of only two decorations that adorned the walls, the other being an aged letter tacked next to it. Letting the cloth fall to the ground around his feet, the mammal once again took in the sight of his grotesque appearance. Even he cringed at the sight of his reflection.

Staring at the cracked mirror, the mammal raised a paw and ran it down the cool surface of the glass. _'A flawless expository representation of who and what I am in mind, body, and soul.'_ he thought to himself. Focusing once more on his reflection, the mammal let his eyes roam over his form. The damage it had endured was far greater than one would imagine possible for any mammal.

His body, burnt from the flames that licked it years ago, was furless and completely covered in scars. One could easily mistake him for a mutilated corpse. Running his paws over himself, the mammal could feel the unseen damage; the countless broken bones that had never properly mended, the torn muscles, ligaments, and tendons for which he was never given treatment. Yet, his eyes remained on his reflection the whole time he did this.

The mammal had no recollection of to which species he belonged. It was impossible for him to determine based on what he saw in the mirror. His fangs and claws told him he was a predator. His size informed him that he was somewhere between small and midsized. Other than that, there was no indication of what he once was.

What he was now though, was a different matter entirely. He had no problem calling himself a monster. If asked why, he would say it was because the creature which stared back at him as he looked in the mirror could only be described as such.

Shifting his gaze to the aged letter that was tacked to the wall next to his mirror. A strange set of circumstances had left it in his possession. Its author, like he himself, had sought refuge within the sanctuary of this old church. He doubted she had even known of his presence as she wrote it. Although, he often wondered if she had known, as while writing the letter she had spoken the words aloud.

The letter, written in beautiful calligraphy, read:

 _"I know not of whom nor what you are, but it is to you I shall impart these final words of mine._

 _As I sit here awaiting Death's arrival, I realize that my passing shall go unnoticed by the world._

 _What follows is my tale, and I pray you learn from my mistakes._

 _I was never the most confident of mammals. I was woefully insecure._

 _My mate, a handsome tod, could have had any vixen in the world, but it was I he chose._

 _This is where my insecurities, doubts, and fears were born._

 _Our life was pleasant for a time, but much like a self-fulfilling prophecy, I brought it to ruin._

 _Accusing my mate of numerous infidelities, I tore our family apart at the already stressed seams._

 _His departure stripped me of my mammality, and I descended into a life of drink, drugs, and debauchery._

 _When my son caught me, I was once again torn, but this time by the betrayal in his young eyes._

 _To atone, I did my best to provide him with the means to achieve his dreams, but it was for naught._

 _Soon, he too departed leaving me alone. His return I greeted with words I can no longer take back._

 _My existence became a cursed one. My mind a prison of my own design, and inescapable._

 _Try as I might, it proved impossible to break free of the shackles in which I had bound myself._

 _Now, I waste away, waiting for Death to claim my soul for his trophy in this empty chapel._

 _The lesson I wish for you to learn from this is simple: do not let your fears, insecurities, and doubts usurp control over you._

 _Your story is unknown to me, but however it goes, I hope that you fulfill whatever it is you desire._

 _Know that my last request is for you to find whatever it is you seek._

 _It is time for me to depart. Death has come for me at last._

 _Should you at any time come across my mate and son, please let them know my final thoughts were of them._

 _Tell them how sorry I am, how that I never meant for it to be this way._

 _Farewell, whomever reads this, and know I thank you from the bottom of my heart._

 _-Katharine Wilde"_

* * *

The rickety-clickety-clacks of the newest invention, the motorized auto-vehicle, echoed through the nigh-empty streets of the city. A thick, heavy fog saturated the air, greatly limiting one's ability to see. What few mammals remained out and about were either rushing home after a long day of work or the mammals of the constabulary on patrol. Although it was not yet night, the street lamps were being lit to illuminate the cobblestone streets. However, with the fog, it did little to help.

Declan Wolford turned up the collar of his trench coat and lowered the wide brim of his hat to further shelter himself from the chilly air. He paused as a motorized carriage passed in front of him. Just ahead, he could see the silhouette of his destination: another motorized carriage, surrounded by constables. The closer he got, the more he could make out through the fog. Much to his ire, two constables were refusing to let a young tiger through.

Walking up behind the slightly younger male, Declan put a paw on the tiger's shoulders and asked the constables, "Is there a good reason you're refusing to let my assistant through, gentlemales?" Declan saw them shift uncomfortably. "I didn't think so. Now, do yourselves a favor and get out of our way." When they hauled ass, the wolf turned to the tiger. "Did you even give them the note I gave you?"

Nodding, the tiger replied, "They thought it was a forgery. Said they'd lock me up if I didn't leave." Shrugging, he added, "Wouldn't have mattered anyway. I figured you'd be here soon."

Sighing, Declan stated, "Let's see what we're dealing with. Did you bring your camera like I told you?" Seeing the young tiger hoist the moderately sized contraption to display it, the wolf nodded in approval. "Let's make history, eh?"

The two approached the motorized carriage's cargo trunk, which contained the reason for their presence. Peering inside, Declan grimaced. Within the trunk was the body of a young giant golden crowned flying fox, a type of mega-bat. The tiger lifted his camera and started taking photographs.

"Make sure you get photos of the surrounding area as well, Nathan." Declan told the tiger, who mumbled an affirmative reply in response. The wolf stared at not the first, nor second, third or fourth victim, but the fifth. The eyes of the bat were still open, so he carefully closed its eyelids.

* * *

As the wolf stood there in thought, it took him a while to notice that the screams had died. Turning to look at Judy, he saw the reason why: Nick had cupped her cheeks and pressed their foreheads togethers while whispering comforting words he couldn't hear from where he stood. Wolford saw that Nick's tail had wrapped itself around her waist, as if to protect her from the world around them. He was about to call out to them when his phone started ringing. Checking to see who it was, Wolford sighed at seeing it was Chief Bogo.

"Hey, Chief." Wolford answered. He listened to Bogo's questions before saying, "No, but we got another body. Hopps is the one who found it." Looking back at the doe and tod a couple of meters away, he said, "I think you'll want to have her see the precinct's psychotherapist. She didn't handle the discovery all that well."

Back at Precinct One, Chief Bogo sighed heavily. "I doubt she'll agree to that. She's more hard-headed and stubborn than I am. Send them back here." Hanging up his desk phone, the buffalo let his head hit his desk with a loud 'THWACK'. He didn't groan, he didn't grunt, he didn't release a single sound of pain. All he wanted to do was get a godsdamn drink. _'What a fucking time to go cold turkey.'_

Hearing that the Chief wanted them back at the precinct, Nick gently picked Judy up in his arms and carried her to their cruiser. The drive to the precinct was silent as Judy seemed utterly lifeless. Nick hated, no, loathed it. He couldn't think of anything to say that seemed appropriate. The beast within him wanted to bring her to their den, or anywhere they could be alone.

Judy just stared out into space. The lyrics to a song she once heard so long ago now seemed all too true. 'There's a world outside your window, and it's a world of dread and fear.' Judy's mind was now her own worse enemy, creating countless scenarios where the victims wasn't just some random citizen, but the mammal that meant the most to her in the world. Almost mechanically, Judy lolled her head to gaze at Nick.

Once they arrived at the precinct, Nick and Judy were required for debrief. They were then ordered to visit the psychotherapist regularly until she gave them the greenlight. Judy was about to argue, but all it took to get her compliance was a request from Nick, who promised to be there during her sessions.

* * *

The evidence board got another picture attached to it. The room was totally silent as the Chief looked at his mammals. "Another victim. That makes five in total so far. Thanks to the forward and progressive thinking of Detective Declan Wolford and his civilian assistant, Nathan Fangmeyer, we now have photographic documentation of both the victims and the crime scenes."

A round of soft applause swept the room briefly as the bison nodded his approval at the aforementioned mammals. The wolf and tiger paid it no mind, rather preferring that the bison just get on with it, which he did after the applause ended. The bison started passing out sheets of paper, containing what info they had gathered on their newest victim, and it wasn't much.

"So, as you can see, we have very little on our newest victim." the bison stated upon returning to his spot behind his podium. "Detective Declan Wolford has a few things he wishes to say, but before that, I want all of you to make sure you've got a photograph with you so that you can start asking around. Any questions? No? Okay. Declan, your turn."

Declan stepped around the Chief's podium and scanned the room. Before him were the mammals that he had worked many cases with over his few years on the job. Clearing his throat, Declan stated, "I'm well aware that we're averse to using the term, but I for one think we've got a serial killer on our paws." A collection of murmurs could be heard at his words. "We've got five bodies in our morgue, all with the same level of sadistic precision, same type of wounds, and same taunt left behind, challenging us. Yes, all the victims are of different species, genders, ages, and whatnot, but I've spoken with a few…unorthodox sources, and they confirm that the same mammal committed each murder."

Nathan Fangmeyer stood up and approached the evidence board. "As you can see, each victim was kept alive for an extended period of time while their assailant brutally tortured them. The three females were violated in the cruelest of ways. The coroner found upon autopsy that our killer removed their wombs after death."

From the back of the room a voice asked, "Why? For what reason does he do this?" A few other voices echoed the question, prompting Declan to answer.

"We believe that it has to do with the rumors of the newly discovered DNA." Declan saw that he had regained their attention. "According to what I've heard, it's something that's unique to each and every one of us. No two mammals, even identical twins, have the same DNA. The killer is probably attempting to make certain we don't get his for study."

"Another thing we have noticed is how he kills his victims." Nathan stated. "He appears to be highly educated in anatomy. This is evident by the surgical precision and accuracy of his victim's wounds. Interestingly, it would appear that our killer is a predator, seeing as the coroner says the incisions were made using claws. However, it should be known that a prey mammal could do this damage if their claws have been artificially sharpened. To prove this, we had a volunteer come in and get their claws sharpened then swipe at another willing participant. So, please give a round of applause to Chief Bison-Butt." A chorus of laughter erupted from the constables.

"Enough!" the buffalo commanded. Pointing to the tiger, he said, "Careful, kit. I can just as easily revoke your civilian assistant status."

Nodding, Nathan continued. "The Chief's wounds bore a striking similarity to those of a predator mammal. As we still don't know who or what the killer is, remain vigilant and cautious." Walking around, he proceeded to pass out copies of the victims. "These are photographs of our victims. Use them when questioning the mammals on your patrols. If you learn anything, report it immediately. With nothing else to add, you're all dismissed."

* * *

Once the last mammal had left the bullpen, Bogo walked back to his office. Roughly a week had gone by since the discovery of Timothy Batsarab and no new leads had surfaced as of yet. To make matters worse, neither Hopps nor Wilde were cleared for field duty. The buffalo was really starting to wish he hadn't quit drinking. Upon entering his office, he found himself greeted to the sight of the precinct's psychotherapist. The female sand cat had one hell of a poker expression, but the look of concern in her eyes couldn't hide from him.

"Give it to me straight, Doc. What's the prognosis?" The Chief watched as the sand cat sighed. "That bad, huh? What do you suggest we do? I, we, need them out there."

"Honestly, Chief? I don't know where to begin exactly." The sand cat confessed. "Officer Hopps refuses to take any advice from any mammal other than Officer Wilde. He's the only mammal she'll listen to, who's words she'll consider. Our sessions normally consist of me sitting on my duff, listening to the two of them talk things out. On the other paw, it's vice versa. The only one Officer Wilde will listen to is Officer Hopps. He flat out ignores anything I say but will use what I suggest when it comes to Officer Hopps regularly. I've never seen such a dynamic in any pair of partners, ever."

Placing the file that she had with her on his desk, the sand cat kept going. "I have a strong suspicion that Hopps is suffering from a form of PTSD. She shows all the typical signs and symptoms of it. One of the common topics they tend to discuss is the nightmares she's having. Over the last week, it would appear these are becoming less frequent, but I can't say for sure since neither of them will actually talk to me. Also, I have a few concerns regarding Officer Wilde's mental health. He seems to have an unhealthy attachment to Officer Hopps."

"Before you go any further," Bogo interrupted. "Let me make this as clear as possible to you. Whatever relationship those two may or may not have is absolutely none of your concern. Your sole job as the psychotherapist of this precinct is to ensure that my officers are mentally capable of performing their duty. Unless you are telling me that whatever relationship the two of them have is a threat to their performance, shove it. Am I understood?"

Gulping, the sand cat nodded. It seemed that the Chief knew about it already and had no issue with it. Plus, the buffalo was correct about her job as the precinct's psychotherapist. Still, it just didn't seem right for a predator and a prey to be so close or dependent on one another. _'Then again, it isn't that different from other interspecies relationships. It just happens to cross that one final boundary most wouldn't transverse.'_ She decided to keep her maw shut unless their dynamic made a drastic negative shift.

"Good." Taking his seat behind his desk, he opened the folder the sand cat had deposited upon it. "What's this?" Reading it over, his eyes widened. "Oh, you can't be serious about this, Doc."

"I'm extremely serious, Chief." the sand cat replied. "It needs to be done, and it needs to be done soon. As of now, the only thing I can think of that could help Officer Hopps is force her to confront this head-on."

The Chief reread the file's contents. He wasn't normally one to feel torn, but this did it. _'Wilde is_ _ **not**_ _going to like this, at all.'_

* * *

As the clock tower began to ring, the remaining mammals on the streets rushed home. With the newly implemented curfew in full effect, and a murderer on the loose, no one except the constables on patrol were allowed to wander the streets after nightfall.

Again, the rickety-clickety-clacks of motorized carriages and hansoms filled the air. Another veil of fog had also blanketed the city. The city almost seemed deserted, but the dim lights from the windows proved that wasn't the case.

Declan Wolford and Nathan Fangmeyer were wandering the deserted streets of the city on patrol. The constabulary had ordered everyone to divvy up into partnered pairs to ensure their own safety. Armed with lawmammal's batons attached to their hips, the two kept their patrol at a steady pace, on the look out for anything out of the ordinary. In the days since they discovered the bat stuffed in the trunk, they had come across another dead body, this one of an elderly ursine. The carcass had all the hallmarks of their quarry. This was the topic of discussion between the wolf and tiger as they patrolled.

"He killed a bear." Nathan stated for the nth time. "Okay, so it was an elderly bear, but still. It was a bear, Declan."

"Yes, Nathan. I'm aware that the victim was a bear. I was there. Remember?" The wolf shook his head. The discovery of the corpse had raised a lot of questions. While they had said it was possible their killer was a prey, this caused them to wonder how true that statement was now. "Our murderer has to be somewhere between a mid-sized and a large-sized mammal. It's the only option that makes sense. He, or she, can't be too large to deal with the smaller victims, and they can't be too small to deal with the larger one."

Nodding in agreement, Nathan said, "Have you read the newest scientific journals yet? There have been quite a few new methods in evidence gathering. Someone found that if we preserve what evidence we find it could eventually be used for testing later when technology reaches the place it needs to be for it."

"Yeah. I read that one." Declan looked skyward at the rain clouds that threatened to give way to a torrential downpour. "Hey, Nathan? Have you ever wondered if they'll deal with something of this magnitude in the future?"

The tiger felt caught off guard at the question. After thinking about it for a moment, he answered, "Yeah. I've considered it a bit. If not here, then obviously somewhere else. I don't mean that I hope for it to happen, but there is a possibility it'll happen again in the future."

Huffing, Declan continued to make his way down the street. The night air was chilly, causing him to turn the collar of his jacket up against it. Stopping only for a few seconds to gaze through a store window, the wolf pondered how he could help those of similar circumstances as them. They already took photos, made notes, and whatnot. Suddenly, his ears perked as the sound of soft singing reached his ears, and an idea struck him. "Nathan. When we get back to the office, see if you can locate a phonograph. We're going to leave what thoughts we don't know how to write down in audio form."

* * *

Softly singing to herself, Judy kept glancing at the calendar repeatedly. The day of the concert she was attending with Nick was heavily circled. A smile spread across her lips at the thought of it. The concert was only a few more days away. Still singing softly, Judy grabbed the fox plushie Nick had given her the day after confiding in him about her nightmares and began dancing with it. She was even more sure now of the feelings she had for the red fox tod. He was always there for her, even now, via the fox plushie that looked exactly like him.

Falling atop her bed, Judy giggled as she squeezed the plushie to herself. Thanks mostly in part to Nicky the Plushie, Judy hadn't suffered from any of her nightmares recently. Her phone started ringing, and recognizing the ringtone, knew it was Nick. "Hey, Slick. What're you calling me for at this hour?" Glancing at the clock briefly, Judy saw it was only two hours since they clocked off their shift.

"Can't I just call to check on you and see how you're doing, Fluff?" Nick replied.

It was obvious that he was somewhere he felt comfortable, since he was calling MuzzleTiming her. This made Judy wonder if it was his apartment. She had never She had never been allowed to visit, not for her lack of trying. Nick was very adamant that he didn't want her over at his place. Knowing how strongly he felt about not letting her visit his place hurt Judy a bit but figured there was a reason behind it. "Of course, you can. I'm just asking since we literally saw each other two hours ago."

"Well, you can't blame me for worrying, can you? I mean, you did nearly have an acute psychological collapse." Nick's knowledge of psychotherapy was limited to what he learned from his own therapy sessions at the precinct. His skill in reversing the sessions had resulted in the psychotherapist mandating that he visit more often until he stopped deflecting. Since that wasn't happening, he figured he'd start learning what he could to help Judy.

"Yeah," Judy admitted, sadly. "Thanks for checking on me, Nick. I really appreciate it."

"How're you feeling?" Nick inquired. "Have you had any nightmares since I gave you the plushie?" That had bothered him a lot. He had even stayed up late fabricating that plushie for her, though she didn't know it. He had wanted Judy to always have something with her that reminded the doe he was always there whenever she needed him. The plushie did that easily, being modeled after himself.

"Nope. No nightmares since I got my paws on this little guy." Judy answered happily, angling her phone to show Nickie smashed to her chest. "He's been scaring them away." God did she sound like a little kit, but that was how it seemed to her. It was as if she had a guardian predator keeping her safe.

Smiling warmly, Nick said, "That's good. It's why I gave him to you. Glad he's doing his job." The tod wished beyond anything that he could bring her to his apartment, his home, his den, to keep her safe from the horrors of the world. He couldn't do that though. Not yet at least. It wasn't the right time for that. "So, only a few more days until the big day. Are you excited?"

"Oh, yes. I can't wait." Judy grinned at him brilliantly. She was about to say more when both their phones chimed. A quick look told her that it was from Chief Bogo. Another body had been discovered and their presence was required. She could tell that Nick wasn't pleased, but she said, "It's okay, Nick. I need to face this to get over it. Besides, you'll be there with me. I'll be fine."

Half an hour later, Nick and Judy walked into the apartment of an elderly female ursine, a polar bear to be exact. The victim showed all the necessary evidence needed for them to know that it was the work of the Apex Omnivore. What made matters a lot worse for Judy, and by extension Nick, was that the victim had biological materials seeping from her nether regions.

Bogo himself was on scene, having known the victim personally. Major Friedkin was also there, the victim being her grandmother, who was visiting from the Northern Arctic Regions. Wolford was present and meticulously taking photographs. No other officers were around, probably at Friedkin's request.

"Do you need us to call someone for you, Major?" Judy asked in a concerned voice. The polar bear ZPA instructor was one of her good friends, and Judy didn't like seeing her friends wearing the expression the Major had. She glanced at Nick, who was examining the elderly polar bear's body with a critical eye.

"No. We were the last of our family. It was just the two of us." Friedkin answered, sounding tired beyond comparison. "Ask the questions, Hopps. Remember: there are no allowances to be made if you know the victim or their family. The job comes first and foremost."

Giving the polar bear a nod, Judy asked, "When did you discover the victim's body?"

"When I came home. The door was left open, which was odd since she always locked the doors. At first it appeared she was sleeping, but the smell gave away the truth." Looking at her grandmother, Friedkin stated, "You'll find my prints on her eyelids. I closed them because they had remained open. The bastard probably got off on it."

"He sexually assaulted her after she had died." Nick stated from near the body. "Even elderly, I doubt she'd have just taken the abuse. The lack of blood indicates she was deceased at the time."

"Wilde." Bogo began to warn the fox, only to have Friedkin stop him with a look.

"It's fine, Chief. It's not like it really changes anything. Besides, it may not seem like it, but that little bit is something of a relief." Friedkin accepted a glass of water from Wolford. Thanking him, the polar bear stated, "At least she wasn't aware of the dishonor prior to her death."

After a few more minutes, everyone made their way back to the precinct. Nick and Judy returned to their shared office space, collapsing on the couch within. The tod draped his tail over Judy like a blanket, the doe hugging it tightly. Both knew there was bound to be a lot of emotions running amuck throughout the precinct once word got out. Even they were struggling to maintain their composure over it. Upon realizing that they were alone in their office, they let the tears fall and held onto each other.

* * *

Yet another photograph joined those already on the evidence board. Instead of murmurs permeating the room, it was dead silent. The expressions that were worn by those present left no doubt that they were having difficulty keeping a calm façade. Wolford stood behind the podium, looking from one mammal to the next, gauging their reactions to the newest victim.

"We'll mourn later. Right now, we need to focus on reexamining everything we currently have. I have posted a list of who will be assigned where in the lobby. Make sure you read it to see where you're to report tomorrow." Pointing to the evidence board, he added, "Also, thanks to the photographs, we have learned a bit about our past victims. Please, read over the pages we've deposited on your desks. That's all. Dismissed." As the last constable exited the room, Declan sat down with a heavy, tired sigh.

Nathan Fangmeyer's family had taken the news of their son's death as one would expect. His girlfriend had slapped him across the muzzle with claws extended, giving him another set of scars before collapsing into his arms crying. Now, alone with no one around, did the wolf allow himself whine and let the tears fall. Regardless of what others told him, he would forever feel it was his fault. To make matters so much worse, he had been the one to discover Nathan's corpse, suspended in midair by heavy-duty wire, looking for all intents and purposes like an angel trapped mid-ascension.

Declan slammed his fist into the podium repeatedly with so much power behind it that eventually the plinth gave out under the assault. Ignoring that fact, the wolf continued to smash his fist into it until the pain was too great. Heaving heavy breaths, the wolf examined his bloody knuckles. Cleaning the wounds with brandy, he took a swig. Coughing, he heard someone join him.

"Well, looks like I'll finally get that metal podium I kept requesting." the old bison stated upon seeing the remnants of wood that littered the floor. Taking a seat next to the wolf, he snagged the bottle of brandy and took a sip himself. "I've got something for you. Nathan gave it to me. In case something ever happened to him."

Staring at the cylinder the bison was offering him, Declan asked, "What is it?" He knew what it was, but the question wasn't what it sounded like. Thankfully, the Chief understood what he meant.

"It's a message he left for you. Told me that in the event of his untimely demise to give it to you. He said you'd need to hear it to move forward." Leaving the wolf alone, the bison went back to his office.

Fitting the cylinder into the player, the wolf sat back and closed his eyes as Nathan's voice emanated from it. In his mind, Declan could practically see Nathan sitting next to him.

"Hey, Declan. I, uh, I'm making this while you're out getting us something to eat. If you're hearing this, then I'm dead. I know you. You're going to beat yourself up over it regardless of what anyone tells you. So, this is me, the only one whose opinion matters on this subject: STOP IT!"

The sudden outburst startled Declan, having never heard Nathan raise his voice.

"Stop beating yourself up over it. We both knew the risks going into this. Do me a favor though, eh? Keep an eye on my girlfriend for me. She's, uh, she's carrying our child. My parents don't know yet. I haven't even asked her parents for her paw yet. It just happened, you know? I told her all about you. She even wants to name the kit Declan if it's a male. She agreed with me that you're to be the kit's godfather. So, you had better not join me in death any time soon. Otherwise, I curse you with immortality so that you're around for a long, long time to watch over my kit. You got that? Anyway, you should be returning soon, so I'll end this by saying that it's been fun. Like really fun, Declan. Gods, you have no idea how much fun it's been for me. Now, go out there and find that bastard."

The recording ended, leaving Declan staring at it. Standing, the wolf made his way to the room he and Nathan had turned into their makeshift office. Sitting down, Declan closed his eyes. Reopening them, he began reexamining everything, from start to finish. He would not let this killer get away with this.

* * *

As the sun rose and set, the city's nightlife started coming back to life. Nightshift mammals went to work, some went to nightclubs or parties, and those who protected them were out on patrol. The residual smell of bakeries baking bread filled the air. A couple of late night cafés were brewing coffee for those mammals who were just now going into work.

Nick was one of the latter. Thankfully, the barista was a former police officer, so upon seeing Nick, he started preparing the tod's usual, adding an extra shot of espresso. Giving the barista a grateful smile, Nick asked, "Can I get one for Officer Hopps as well, please? She'll need it more than I do." Within minutes, he was carrying out two cups of coffee. One for himself, the other for Judy. A sense of pride knowing he was providing for his bunny doe filled Nick. He had to stamp the feeling down though. _'Only one more day. Only one more day until the concert. Tomorrow is the day. Gods, I hope I don't royally screw this up.'_

Hearing the driver's door of their cruiser open, Judy cracked a bloodshot eye to see Nick climb in with a paw outstretched to her, a cup of coffee in its grasp. Giving him a tired smile, she whispered, "Just put it in the cup holder for now, please. I need to rest my eyes a bit."

"Carrots, if you aren't up for it, let me take you home." Nick pleaded. "I can do desk duty for a day. Plus, the Chief even told us that if we need it, the two of us can take some extra time off."

"We can't do that, Nick. Not with that…that…monster out there killing innocent mammals." Judy argued, pitifully. "It's our job to protect them. I just need a few minutes."

"No, Judy." Nick stated, angrily. "I've had enough of this. I'm radioing the Chief and telling him we're taking the day off. You're practically dead on your feet and you need to rest. Not take a power nap either, a real rest. We're not the only officers on this case. We've got Wolford, Higgins, Marcus, and, I can't believe I'm grateful for the shit, Hotch. They can hold the fort for a day. Besides, please explain to me what good it will do if you pass out in the middle of our shift."

Not having a viable counterargument, and knowing Nick was right, Judy conceded to letting Nick taking her home. Once he dropped her off, telling her to sleep, Judy made her way to her apartment. Having enough cognitive function to remember to doublecheck the locks on her door, Judy hobbled to her bedroom and collapsed on the mattress of her bed. The instant her head hit the pillow, she fell asleep, dreaming of tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Nick returned the cruiser to the precinct's motor pool. Giving the key to the clerk, Nick's ear flicked as the sound of Bernhard Hotch talking to someone reached it. Silently, the tod went to see what was happening. What he saw had him quirk an eyebrow.

"Look, all I'm saying is that it's weird that a predator and a prey are so close." Bernhard told Marcus. "I mean, yeah, you and I are good friends, but Hopps and Wilde? It's almost like they're dating. Can you imagine? That's just sickening."

"Why? Because, you can't understand it?" Marcus retorted. "Wilde is a good tod. Managed to make it through the ZPA at the top of his class. Without any underpawed tactics, mind you. Hopps specifically requested him to be her partner even before he was accepted to attend."

Huffing in annoyance, Hotch stated, "It's just sick though. Can't you see that? A predator and a prey as anything other than friends? It's unnatural."

"Again, is this because you can't understand it? Or, is this due to the fact every time you've tried to get in Hopps' pants you fail due to Wilde?" Marcus watched the buck twitch at that one. "Of course, it's that. Christ, Bernhard. Don't you have any respect for her at all."

"Hey!" Bernhard shot back. "I respect what she's accomplished, but a doe is meant to stay home and raise kits. It's been that way since the dawn of time. She should just accept that already."

Marcus was about to say something when a resounding crack echoed throughout the room from Hotch having his head slam hard into the table. The dark brown paw that held the buck's head down could only belong to one mammal. Marcus looked at Nick and said, "Don't do it, Nick. Judy would be furious with you if you get yourself suspended. Let him go."

Nick narrowed his eyes at the buck whose head was in his grasp. It would be so easy for him to crush Bernhard's skull with a single squeeze. Marcus was right though. Judy would be furious with him if he got himself suspended, or even arrested. Slamming the buck's head into the table a second time to knock him unconscious, Nick told the husky, "I doubt he'll remember what just happened. Next time though, I won't leave it at that. You better keep him as far away from my partner as you can. Do you hear me?" Without even waiting for Marcus's response, Nick marched towards Bogo's office.

The buffalo had witnessed the altercation through the security cameras. After the inclusion of Hotch into their ranks, and his constant attempts of 'getting in Hopps' pants' as Marcus to eloquently put it, Bogo had kept an eye on the hare. Honestly, he was surprised Wilde hadn't skinned Hotch alive yet. When the tod knocked on his office door, Bogo stated, "Enter."

"Chief, Judy and I are taking the day off. She needs rest, and so do I. I know we have the next two days off, but she's…" Nick stopped when Bogo cut him off with a 'stop' gesture.

"I don't care." Both the buffalo and the tod knew that was a complete lie. "I already informed you if the two of you needed to take the day off, you had my permission. Sign out, clock out, get out of my precinct until the two of you are ready to get back to it. Now, get out of my office. Oh, and tell Officer Hotch I want to see him immediately on your way out as well."

Marcus watched as Nick told Hotch Bogo wanted to see him then walk out. When Hotch made his way to the Chief's office, Marcus was joined by Wolford and Thomas, who was looking progressively worse since that night at the bar. The husky guessed Thomas's health was beginning to deteriorate from all the alcohol, cigars, and whatever else he was into in his off time.

"Nick's going to end up killing him." Thomas stated, coughing. "I haven't seen Nick that pissed since the night we all went to the bar, and the sparring match with the Chief before that." Snagging one of Marcus's fries, he added, "By the way, I'm going to be checking myself into the hospital soon. I've already spoke to the Chief about partnering you with Hotch. So, you'll be the only thing standing between him and Nick."

Following a long groan, Marcus sighed. Pushing the rest of his food towards Thomas, Marcus asked, "What if I decide to help Wilde kill him?" The only response he got was a shrug.

While that conversation was taking place, in the Chief's office, another more one-sided conversation was happening between the large buffalo and his newest hare officer. Bogo didn't shout, didn't even raise his voice even the slightest bit, and that made it even more frightening to Officer Bernhard Hotch. The hare was trying to understand where the massive headache he now had came from, but hit primary focus was on his boss, who looked more terrifying than he had ever seen him. In all his time working for the Chief, Hotch had never once been reprimanded for anything. So, when the buffalo informed him that he was to be suspended until he could get his head out of his ass and stop being a 'godsdamn prick set on ruining one of the most promising careers he's ever seen', Hotch was livid.

"You can't suspend me! I haven't done anything wrong! Officer Hopps is a doe, and everyone Leporidae knows that a doe belongs at home!"

"Officer Bernhard Hotch, you test my tolerance." Bogo warned. "The only reason I haven't fired your sorry ass is because I need more small-sized officers, and there aren't many that make it through the ZPA. So, I'm going to give you two options. Choose wisely. Option One: stay the hell away from Officers Hopps and Wilde. He's already given you his warning. This is mine. Option Two: Go home until you can come in and give me a good enough reason to remove your suspension. If I'm not impressed, you'll stay suspended until you do."

Bernhard knew there was no way of avoiding either Hopps or Wilde. Therefore, there was only one real option for him. "Option Two." he begrudgingly stated.

"Good choice. Now, badge, cuffs, and tranquilizer gun on my desk. Then, you can go." Bogo watched as Hotch placed the requested items on his desk and leave. _'This isn't over. Not by a long shot.'_

* * *

The sun was beginning to make its appearance over the horizon. The rickety-clickety-clacks of the motorized vehicles were once more echoing throughout the streets. Mammals woke and began getting ready to go about their day. Yet, secluded in an office at one of the constabulary houses, a wolf whose fur was now gray with age instead of his original black continued to sleep.

Years had passed since the death of Nathan Fangmeyer, and the killings had stopped rather suddenly a couple months later. Declan Wolford hadn't given up on trying to find the fucker that had stolen one of his closest friends though. Now, the wolf was old, gray, and on the verge of forced mandatory retirement. He had worked tirelessly for days which turned into weeks then to months searching for clues that would end it once and for all. To no avail.

The other mammals of the constabulary house had given up on finding the wolf another partner. They knew of the infamous loyalty wolves had towards those who they befriended. Although, all they wanted to do was help him, it was clear he wouldn't have anything to do with it. The sole mammal that he would even talk to was Declan Fangmeyer, who had recently joined their ranks as a fully endorsed constable, and they all called 'Dex'.

The tiger was the only mammal allowed to sit across from the old wolf, in the same spot his father Nathan had so often sat. The young tiger had fought fang and claw with his mother to get where he was, all so he could watch out for the wolf that had watched over him. However, as he gazed at his namesake, it was clear he wouldn't have to for much longer. The old wolf was near the end of his natural lifespan. Declan Fangmeyer wondered what would happen to the wolf's pups, who only had their father as their sole parent.

Waking, Declan Wolford raised his head to see that his godcub was already seated across from him, ready to start the day. "What time is it?" he asked, looking at the clock on the wall. "10:19? Fuckin' shit. Why didn't you wake me sooner?"

"I tried." Dex stated. "Ask anybody. They'll tell you I tried to wake you. You just wouldn't wake up." Sliding the sheet of paper that he had gotten from the chief, the tiger said, "This is for you."

Reading it over, Declan groaned then sighed. "Figures." Leaning back and looking at the ceiling, Declan's mind began replaying everything from over the past few years, the good and the bad. "Well, I had a good run. Didn't manage to do the one thing I wanted, but I did a lot of good regardless." Standing, Declan Wolford began to pack up his desk.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the wolf. Some of them had heard the stories, others hadn't. Those who had knew couldn't help feeling the sight they were seeing. Few of them had ever managed to hold a conversation with the wolf, but they all respected him. Once he had his box of belongings in paw, they followed Dex's example by standing and saluting him.

Walking out of the Constabulary house, Declan Wolford stood unsure of what he was supposed to do now. Dropping the box off at his residence, the wolf quickly made his way to the building that contained all the files of the serial killer they had named the Apex Omnivore. Signing in for the last time, he pulled out the box and looked inside it.

"Cody? Do you mind doing me a favor?" Declan asked the young puma behind the counter. "I want you to store this someplace that it won't be forgotten. Make a note or something to that effect. If/when someone comes around that has proven themselves of solving this, make sure they get it. Alright?"

* * *

The mammal gave the feline behind the desk the clipboard to ensure the chain of evidence. Saluting, he departed to continue his deliveries. The feline meanwhile carried the box to the office belonging to two of their top officers. Knocking, he heard the male tell him to enter. Opening the door, the cheetah set the box down on the fox's desk.

"This just arrived for you two with a note." Clawhauser stated. "I didn't read it, but that's official document paper. So, I'm guessing it's important."

"Thanks, Ben." Nick replied, opening the box. The contents had his jaw practically hit the floor. "Oh, fucking hell."

"What is it, Nick?" Judy questioned, looking inside the box herself. She had the exact same reaction as Nick did. "Oh, Sweet Cheese and Crackers!" the doe whisper-shouted.

"This is evidence from…I don't even know when. I've never seen some of these places before." Nick stated, turning to the note, which was aged and faded from time. "Who sent us this stuff?"

"Beats me." Clawhauser stated. "All I know was that it had your names on the package." After a moment, he asked, "So, are you ready for tomorrow? Today's your last day before you two go to that concert. Are you excited?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. We're pumped." Judy answered the cheetah. However, her eyes never left the items within the box situated between her and Nick. Something about this didn't make any sense. Who had sent this? And, from where?

Nick was busy studying the photographs. None of the locations were anywhere in Zootopia, that much he was sure. 'Overseas, maybe?' he thought. 'Of course, it is possible these are from when the city was younger. Lots of development over a lot of years would include tearing a few buildings down to build new ones.'

"Hopps. Wilde." Bogo stated as he walked into their office. "You can go home for the day. Just make sure you stop by the psychotherapist first." The buffalo departed back towards his own office to deal with the paperwork for the guest heading their way from Interpol. The thing that he had an issue with was they hadn't given him a name.

Strolling into the psychotherapist's office, Nick and Judy clambered up onto the couch. The sand cat was already sitting in her oversized chair across from them. No one spoke for a couple minutes as they each waited to see who would break it first.

"So, Officer Hopps, tell me how your folks are doing." the psychotherapist requested. Thankfully, a long phone call to the doe after work hours had resulted in getting the doe to open up to her a bit more. Now, that wasn't to say the sand cat could get her to divulge everything all at once, but it was the in she needed. Hopefully, Officer Wilde would follow suit.

"They're fine. I had a long conversation with my mom last night. We chatted a while about…emotional trauma." Judy's ears lowered flat against her back. The conversation between her and her mom hadn't gone like Judy had thought it would. It turned out that it was indeed very therapeutic to confide in a family member who could empathize. Not that she didn't confide things to Nick, but he always seemed a bit more reserved, withdrawn, and emotionally distant, making Judy wonder if he even could empathize with her.

"How did that go? Did she give you any insight?" The sand cat needed something from the doe to get the tod to slip the tiniest bit to find the opening needed.

Squirming a bit, Judy answered, "Yes, she did. She, uh, told me that she could understand. Told me something no one but she and my dad knew. Their first pregnancy miscarried. They would have had seven kits if everything had gone alright. Then, we began comforting each other. You were right. It was liberating to tell someone who could empathize."

Nick's ear flicked and his eye twitched, which was the opening the psychotherapist needed. "What about you, Officer Wilde? Do you have someone who can do the same? Someone who _isn't_ Officer Hopps?"

Staring at the sand cat, Nick gave her a faux smile. "Why would it matter if I didn't? I think I've done pretty good regardless. Wouldn't you agree?"

"No, actually. I wouldn't." the psychotherapist replied. "Everybody needs somebody who can empathize with them and with whom they can empathize. Do you have any idea of how damaging keeping all that emotional trauma bottled up inside can do to a mammal? For some mammals, it can cause Dissociative Identity Disorder or other similar conditions. It's not healthy. You seem to be receiving a lot of empathy from Officer Hopps, but are you reciprocating?"

A feeling Nick wasn't used to experiencing surfaced. It wasn't anger, fear, or remorse, but it was something very close to those. Answering honestly, Nick stated, "I wouldn't know. Never had anyone with whom I was required to empathize before she came into my life."

"What about your mother?" The sand cat suddenly felt an immensely overwhelming pressure psychosomatically crush her after voicing the question. For only an instant, it wasn't Officer Wilde she saw, but someone, no _something,_ else entirely.

Watching as Nick got up and left, Judy felt a strong need to run after him. Glancing at the psychotherapist, the doe saw that the sand cat wasn't going to stop her. Taking off after Nick, Judy saw him walk out of the precinct's front entrance. Sprinting to catch up, the doe cried out, "NICK! WHAT FOR ME, YOU DUMB FOX!"

Stopping to wait for Judy, Nick bit back the growl that was building in his chest. That sand cat had no right to ask him such a question regardless of what her occupation was. The beast within his mind was telling him to go back and tear her apart. The sudden feeling of Judy's arms around him had both of them freeze. The beast released a whine, and Nick did the same. "Sorry, Fluff. I shouldn't have let her see she got to me."

"No, it's fine. I was just worried about you." Judy whispered. After a couple of minutes, she said, "Alright. Let's go. We have a big day tomorrow."

"Yeah." Nick replied.

They stepped away from each other for only a moment then came back together in another embrace. Telling the other they'd see them tomorrow, they parted ways going to their own homes. The fox and bunny didn't notice that there was someone watching them.

* * *

Nick chose to take the long way back to his place, so he could clear his head. Tomorrow was the day he'd try and reveal his feelings for his partner. Despite how things were going between them, he still wasn't sure of how it would all play out. He needed this to work. The psychotherapist's question about whether he reciprocated the empathy Judy gave him was bothering the tod. Nick honestly didn't know if he was or not. He knew what empathy was, but he was never taught how to empathize. If he was going to pursue a relationship with Judy, he'd have to learn. After all, relationships are symbiotic, give and take in equal measure. Their 'date' was tomorrow, so Nick started sprinting back to his place since there wasn't much time for him to learn how to empathize.

The black clad mammal wandered the streets of Zootopia in the dead of night. He could tell by the level of moisture in the air a storm was brewing and would soon begin. Silently, he made his way through the deserted streets towards his destination. There were other mammals on the streets; prostitutes, drug dealers, and all sorts of other unfriendly mammals. They didn't bother him and gave him a wide berth, as if subconsciously knowing how dangerous he was. Reaching his destination, the mammal gazed upon the remnants of where he had once suffered the indignities that transformed him into a monster.

Hearing a whistle, the mammal turned to see a vixen standing on a nearby street corner, dressed very provocatively. She was looking directly at him. Intrigued, he slowly made his way over to her. The vixen grinned once he got close enough and started to speak.

"Hey there. You look like you can use some company tonight. What do you saw we find a hotel and enjoy a night together? I'm Samantha, by the way."

"I don't have any money." the mammal stated, emotionlessly.

"That's okay, doll. I'm not really looking for cash." Samantha told him. "Now, come on. I know of a place not too far from here we can go."

Following the vixen, the mammal made notes on everything about her. Her size, body type, fur colour, everything. 'Oh, I hope I won't have to kill her.' he thought to himself.

Arriving at the small motel, Samantha got the key to room 13 and led him inside. "So, how about I get more comfortable?" she asked, taking off her clothing. Once totally nude, she laid back on the bed, legs spread wide to give him a look at her sex. "Well, your turn."

Not making any move to divest himself of his attire, the mammal said, "I highly doubt once you see my appearance you'll want to go through with this. So, I want your word that you won't tell a soul."

"Uh, okay. I promise that I won't run off screaming."

"Good. Cause then I'd have to kill you, which I don't want to do, but I will if I must." Slowly, the mammal turned away from her as he lowered his hood and removed his clothing.

Samantha's eyes widened as she watched the cloak her guest was draped in fall around his ankles. Even though he was facing away from her, she could tell that the extent of the damage that covered his body. As he turned back around to look at her, the vixen's breath caught in her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Standing there before the vixen, the mammal found something in her eyes that he hadn't seen in anyone else's: tears of sadness. "This is what I am." he stated, more to himself than to her. "This is what you've chosen to take to bed with you."

Sitting up, Samantha asked, "What happened to you?" Her voice was little more than a whisper, but it was powerful enough that it did something extraordinary.

Memories.

His memories, or at least some of them, flashed through his mind.

With a sad smile, the mammal stated, "I was murdered, and I somehow managed to survive. I have no real recollection of who or what I am. I get bits and pieces every now and again, but…" Shaking his head, the mammal said, "Doesn't matter." Moving forward, he got onto the bed and crawled over the vixen. "Tell me, are you still willing to rut me?"

Samantha didn't hesitate, and her words weren't brought about by fear as she replied, "Yes."

It was something new to the both of them. Neither could explain what it was they were feeling as they united in such an intimate way. The moans and whimpers of pleasure that pervaded the motel room couldn't be contained.

Another memory surfaced for the mammal, one from prior to his transformation. It was a memory of him and a female as they surrendered to their passion. Gazing down at the vixen beneath him, the mammal wondered once again about his name. Everyone had a name, so obviously he did as well, but he didn't know it.

Panting in need, Samantha latched onto the mammal above her, clawing at his back, making him growl in pleasure. That sensation of him going in and out of her was wonderful. She couldn't help comparing him to her ex and there was no contest in her mind that this male put her former todfriend to utter shame. The mammal leaning over her wasn't just big, he was long and thick too. With some careful maneuvering, she kissed him, causing him to freeze.

Never had he imagined that he would receive a kiss again. It was heavenly and felt that he in no way deserved it. However, she wasn't letting him pull away from it. Soon, he relaxed enough to return it. It was slow, sweet, and tender, as well as full of compassion, sympathy, and empathy. He rolled them over so that she was sitting on top of him, giving her control. She bounced softly, as if afraid to hurt him any further than he already was. To assuage this fear, he gripped her hips and pulled her into each of his thrusts. Her gasps of euphoria caused a small smile to grace his mangled muzzle.

She wanted to wait until he reached his peak first, but with how sensual he was being, something she wasn't used to, Samantha climaxed first. To her delight, he didn't stop. He just continued to thrust into her as she rode it out. She fell back when he sat up, and she locked her legs around him. His paws ran down her figure slowly, as if caressing a delicate work of art, making her shiver. She sighed, moaned, panted, whimpered, and whined as her climax wasn't allowed to end due to his actions.

So many memories were coming back to him as this continued. He recreated the movements he was remembering, and it was proving to be the correct decision. He was getting close to hitting his own peak, but he wanted her right there with him when it happened. Waiting agonizingly, the moment he was just about there, he asked, "Are you close?"

"Yes! Do it!" Samantha cried desperately. She got her wish when he hilted her with a powerful thrust. The vixen climaxed at the same moment he did. The warmth that she felt pouring into her brought forth a second orgasmic release. Samantha felt him roll them onto their sides while still connected. "That…was…amazingly…wonderful." she stated between pants.

"I'd hope so. Especially after going for nearly two hours." the mammal stated upon seeing the digital clock on the nightstand beside the bed. Looking at the vixen, he asked, "Why didn't you run? There was a very good chance you could've escaped."

"I don't really know, if I'm being totally honest." Samantha answered. "Don't think this was out of pity." she added. Sighing, the vixen locked gazes with him. "I did something really stupid. I cheated on my boyfriend for a long time. Well, one day he found out about it, and about how many times, then kicked me out of my duff. I started working at this diner during the day, but I needed more income. So, I had to restart turning tricks like back when I first moved out of my parents' home."

"I was a runaway." the mammal told her, as the memories were still fresh in his mind. "I was pretty much in the same boat. One day, I was picked up by this john who said he'd pay me extra if I went with him. I, stupidly, agreed. That building I was looking at where you found me. He took me there. The things he and his friends did to me were nightmarish. I had tried to keep track of how long I was there, but after a while it all just blurred together. When I finally broke free, I discovered I lost almost two whole decades of my life trapped in that place."

Samantha examined his disfigured features. Seeing no signs of deception from what she could tell, the vixen whispered, "Oh, my god! It's you! You're the one who's responsible for that place burning down." She remembered seeing it on the news when she was a lot younger. Her parents had told her that they had always had a bad feeling about the place, and that the fire just proved it.

"Yes." the mammal replied. "It was my personal, hellish prison. After I regained my freedom, I swore revenge against all those who were responsible for what was done to me, as well as the others who suffered the same as I while there."

"The murders. You're the Apex Omnivore." It wasn't a question, but Samantha needed confirmation. She watched his already dark expression darken even more. "I'm not going to turn you in if that's what you're thinking." His expression became less dark.

"I am. However, that is only what I'm known as. As I said earlier, I don't remember my name."

"Then, you need a new one." Samantha thought about it for a moment before saying, "Job. It means persecuted, hated."

"Job." the mammal repeated, as if testing it on his tongue. "Yes, I believe that will do nicely. I still wish I could remember a bit more of my past though."

"You never know." Samantha told him. "Maybe you will in time. For now though, let's sleep."

An hour later, the newly renamed Job watched over Samantha as she slept. His thoughts were all over the place. Taking the pad of paper that was in the nightstand's drawer and a pen, he began to write.

 _"Another angel has fallen into my life._

 _This one, I shall defend with all my strength._

 _I know not what the future holds,_

 _For either of us._

 _Those who have haunted my night terrors,_

 _Be prepared._

 _Soon, I shall come to claim your souls._

 _This angel of mine has brought a light to my darkened world._

 _She cannot be allowed to roam it with me._

 _Come morning, I shall bid her farewell_

 _And hope that in our next life we shall find each other again._

 _A good mammal I am not_

 _Yet for her I wish I could be_

 _However, that is not my destined fate._

 _There are lives I have claimed, and those I still must._

 _A soul such as hers cannot be sullied by my deeds._

 _Tormentors of my past, be ready for me._

 _I shall descend upon you like an inferno tempest._

 _You will not, cannot, escape me forever._

 _I am thy reckoning,_

 _created by thy own paws_

 _Know that nothing shall stop me_

 _Nothing shall prevent me from smiting you._

 _I will strike you down with all my fury._

 _Your time is nigh and coming up fast._

 _A brighter future shall dawn with your demises_

 _It is I who shall bring this future forth with my own two paws._

 _I shall drag you down into the deepest bowels of Hell with right alongside me._

 _Thy reckoning is coming, and it now has a name_

 _One gifted to it by an angel._

 _My name is Job._

 **Post-Chapter Author's Note:**

 **So, here's my attempt at interweaving two separate series of flashbacks. Honestly, I think it just barely gets a passing grade.**

 **Technically, this would count as a 'Filler' chapter, since it only provides a look at that bit of missing time between Ch3 and Ch4.**

 **It also gives something of a look at the original murder investigations and how History Repeats.**

 **By the way, if you're wondering which serial killer(s) I'm using for inspiration. There are a ton. JTR = Jack the Ripper.**

 **Eventually, the M.O.s used will begin to shift since our 'Unsub' Job is customizing how he kills each of those directly responsible for his condition.**

 **If you want to see the inspiration for what he looks like, search Darth Sion KOTOR 2. There are others, but Job's physically more like that.**

 **The snippet at the top from Katharine Wilde is meant to inform you that her influence will be impacting things a bit more later.**

 **Next chapter is going to be strictly a Nick and Judy chapter with only a few references to everybody else,**

 **The chapter after next will focus more on the investigation overseas. (We're going to in-verse version of London)**

 **We'll be getting some insight on what the inner beast Nick's been dealing with really is, and boy do I have a treat for you (or is it a trick?).**

 **Another thing, and this is the last bit, is the sand cat psychotherapist.**

 **The reason she doesn't have a name is mainly due to how little she'll be appearing.**

 **There's also the fact that she was never intended to last long anyway.**

 **No, she won't die. Not yet. I still have one more thing for her to do, but after words bye-bye.**

 **(Someone send me a gruesome murder idea for this please, I need to know what kind of audience I've got for that stuff.)**

 **Anyway, until next time.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Bunny and the Beast**

 **Author's Note: Ever wondered what a true monster looks like? Take a look in the mirror.**

 **Serial Killers, Rapists, Terrorists, and so many others viewed as monsters all appear like everybody else, do they not?**

 **Those aren't the only monsters thought.**

 **What about those you can't see? Those like the one who sees the world through your very own eyes?**

 **Can you honestly say you aren't a monster?**

 **We're all monsters, but only a few of us will admit it.**

 **It's all about how you perceive the world.**

 **Adolf Hitler was viewed as a monster by all, except his allies.**

 **Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side out of love, wanting to save Padme.**

 **I think it was best stated in Dracula Untold: "Sometimes what the world needs isn't a hero. Sometimes what it needs is a monster."**

 **Necessary Evils.**

* * *

The instant he opened his eyes, Nick knew he hadn't truly awoken. How did he know this? Well, because he wasn't lying in Judy's bed next to her like when he fell asleep. Instead, he found himself standing within a large white room. In the center of which there was a cage, bars going both vertical and horizontal, and bolted to the floor, with chains securing the creature confined inside to the walls and ground. The beast was also restrained by a straightjacket and muzzle. However, it seemed eerily calm, which sent a shiver down Nick's spine.

"What do you want?" Nick asked, voice echoing throughout the room. "You wouldn't've summoned me here for no reason. So, let's hear it."

Blinking once slowly, the creature didn't answer. At least, it didn't answer vocally. Rather, it's voice entered Nick's mind, calmly and controlled. "Why ask questions to which you already know the answer?"

Staring at the beast within the cage, Nick stated, "That's a bit hypocritical of you to ask." Taking a seat in front of it, Nick said, "I'm nothing like you. So, I don't know why you're so dead set on making me believe it."

Chuckling, the beast answered, "Whether you believe it or not, it's true. You're are correct in a sense though. You're not me. _I_ am _you_. The part of you you're too afraid to admit exists despite keeping you alive all this time."

"You may have kept me alive before, but I have Judy now." Nick countered. "With that said, I don't know why you're still around. I don't need you. I'm fully capable of protecting her. I'll always do my absolute best to make sure she's safe and sound." He woke up in a cold sweat and gasping for breath at the creature's next words.

"Mm. Nick?" Judy asked in a soft concerned voice. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Breathing heavily, Nick swallowed thickly before stating, "Nothing, Carrots. Go back to sleep. I'm just gonna go sit in the living room for a while."

"Uh-uh." Judy replied, grabbing Nick's tail. "Don't do that. Don't keep secrets from me, Slick." Cuddling his tail, Judy said, "Talk to me. Please?"

Its voice returned to haunt him, even though he was awake. _"What if your absolute best isn't good enough?"_

Nick laid back down next to Judy, gazing into her eyes. _'It has to be enough. It just_ _ **has**_ _to be enough.'_ As Nick gazed at her though, he couldn't lie to himself about something like Judy's safety. He raised a paw and caressed her cheek. "What would you say if I told you that I'm not the mammal you think I am?"

"You're gonna need to clarify what you mean, Slick." Judy told him in response. "What do you mean by that? Is there something you've been keeping from me?"

"Not…not exactly, Fluff." Nick answered. Sighing and closing his eyes, Nick whispered, "I know you trust me, but I have a hard time trusting myself." Pressing his forehead to hers, Nick continued. "Have you ever felt like there's a part of yourself that's so much darker than the rest, like there's a monstrous beast residing within the deepest darkest depths of your mind?"

"Nick?" Judy whispered worriedly. "What are you trying to say, Slick? What is it you're trying to tell me?"

"There's more than just one type of monster, Judy. This mammal we're hunting, he's not the only one." Nick opened his eyes and stared deeply into her own. "I'm a monster, the one you don't see, that hides right in plain sight."

"You're not a monster, Nick." Judy stated, vehemently. "You're not. I know who you are, and you are no monster. You're a good mammal, one of the best."

"No, Judy. I'm not." Getting up, Nick glared at his reflection, which took the form of his inner beast. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me. Things that, if you did know, would make you see me for the monster I truly am." Nick turned to face her, only to get slapped across the muzzle. Blinking in shocked surprise, Nick raised a paw to his cheek and looked at Judy with wide eyes.

Grabbing Nick's chest ruff, Judy pulled him close. "Now you listen to me, Nicholas Piberius Wilde. You stop this kind of talk right now. I won't run away, so just tell me whatever it is you've been keeping from me."

Staring at her in a mixture of shock and awe, Nick broke down and told her. "Have you ever wondered why they call me 'Beast' at the precinct? It's because of what happened back during that sparring session I had with Buffalo Butt. I was on the verge of defeat when… _it_ …woke up for the first time in years. It took total control of me, and then forced the Chief into submission. It's the reason I'm still alive, Judy. I don't know what to call it other than just that: it. It's…a monster with no limit to how far it will go to survive. There's blood on my paws because of it."

Cupping Nick's muzzle in her paws, Judy softly pleaded, "Go on. Keep going. Continue telling me about…whatever it is." She kept her eyes locked on his, refusing to let him look away from hers. "You can tell me anything, Nick. I won't run away. Not from you."

"Judy." Nick whispered thickly. He pulled his doe close, just holding her to him. "It's a killer, Judy. Yet, you, and you alone, are the only one it won't harm in anyway. I haven't a clue as to its true nature. All I know is that it's an integral aspect of who I am as a mammal." Tightening his hold on her, Nick softly nuzzled Judy in the crook of her neck. "I'm scared of myself. It's pathetic. I'm constantly having to keep myself on a tight metaphorical leash."

"Oh, Nick." Judy consoled him. "How bad does it get? What happens when…it surfaces?"

"A lot of things." Nick confessed. "I become the closest thing to a savage predator can without the use of Night Howlers. All my senses heighten, and I become more agile. In that state, it's as if my instincts, intuition, and intellect merge. At the same time, my behavior is far more primeval than normal."

Holding onto Nick, Judy asked, "You said that I'm the only one it won't hurt. Is it behind your excessive protectiveness of me?" It would make a lot of sense in retrospect.

"It's a part of it, but in truth, it's more like the one thing on which we agree." Nick told her. "I woke up because it asked me what would happen if my absolute best attempt to keep you safe wasn't enough. The question scared me so bad I had to wake up to check that you were alright."

"How long has this been going on, Nick?" Judy inquired seriously. "This isn't something that you just started going through. You even said that it hadn't happened in a long time. How long have you been suffering from…whatever this is?"

Hesitating for only a mere moment, Nick answered, "The first time it ever happened, I was 15. I was attacked while waiting for Finn to come get me. I ended up killing my assailant, but Finn had to call Mr. Big to get a cleanup crew to handle the body. After that, it happened whenever I was threatened or in a particularly dangerous situation. I've tried to…tame it, I guess, over the years. I never really managed it until you came into my life. Nowadays though, with this case, and a few other things, it's starting to resist. Whenever you're in danger, or if it feels that its relationship with you is threatened, it begins to bleed into my own actions. Like back at the bar."

"Nick," Judy began. "You didn't have to hide this from me." In fact, she felt a little hurt he hadn't trusted her enough to reveal all this earlier.

"Yes, I did." Nick expressed resolutely. "I didn't know how you'd react to me telling you this. By keeping it to myself, there was no risk of you leaving me."

"That's stupid, you dumb fox." Judy chided. "You could have told me sooner. You should have told me sooner. I would never leave you. No matter what."

"You say that now, Judy." Nick stated. "What about later down the line? He could assault whatever buck catches your eye. What would you do then?"

In lieu of answering with words, Judy kissed him feverishly. She wanted to convey that there was no way in hell she'd choose someone else than him. Feeling him begin to rumble, Judy pulled him down on top of her as she fell back onto the bed. Wrapping her legs around his waist, Judy also encircled her arms around his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss.

Tail whipping around wildly behind him, Nick reciprocated the kiss with equal vigor. He would gently bite her lower lip whenever she tried to pull away so that he could pull her back into another heated lip-lock. Other than his boxers, Nick didn't have much in terms of clothing. Because of this, he could feel her stubby claws raking through his fur. It sent pleasant shivers through his body.

As for Judy, all she really had on was a large shirt and panties. However, that sleepshirt was quickly removed as Nick all but ripped it off her. She stared up at him, somewhat breathless. A gleam in his eye told her that it was there too. "Do whatever feels right." Judy whispered.

Nick pressed his nose to the hollow of Judy's neck and took in her scent. Lashing his tongue over the point where her pulse was located, Nick could feel the doe's heartbeat. This doe was his, and he'd be damned if another dared to take her from him. Pulling away to gaze into her wonderful gemlike violet eyes, he asked, "Do what feels right, eh? You sure about that?"

Smirking up at him, Judy answered, "Yes, Nick. You just do whatever feels natural. I'll let you know if you do something I don't like." She moaned as his hot, wet tongue lightly traced the rim of one ear. When his claws were slowly dragged down her body, her breath hitched. Judy soon fell under his spell. He was so careful, so tender, so adoring in his ministrations that Judy wondered how many of those before her experienced this same treatment by his paws.

"None." Nick stated, as if reading Judy's mind. "I didn't feel anything for any of them. You're the only one with whom I'm taking my time, the only one with whom I'll ever make sweet, tender, passionate love, Judy." His cock was erect and straining his boxers quite visibly. Stripping them off his lower body, Nick shuffled forward a bit. "Suck." he commanded.

Obeying, Judy took the tip into her maw, careful not to scrape it with her teeth. Gently suckling, she ran her tongue over the tip, as if she were caressing it. To Judy, the taste of him was utterly delicious. The smell of his aroused musk was also very appealing to her.

Panting lightly at the sensation of Judy suckling his cock-tip, Nick had to stop himself from bucking his hips forward. Carefully repositioning himself, Nick shifted so that they were in a 69 formation with him over her. Snuffling through the fur of Judy's belly, Nick slowly brought his nose to the apex of her legs. The instant Judy splayed them out, he dove into her like a starving mammal who just had a meal fit for a king placed before him. He could feel her moan around his cockhead, making his tail puff out in pleasure.

Stealthily, so as not to frighten him, Judy slowly brought her paws to Nick's ass cheeks. Giving them a firm squeeze, she proceeded to wrap her legs around Nick's head to keep him there. Then, she began to tease his tailhole with one of her digits before working it inside.

The sensation wasn't expected, but Nick didn't mind it. After all, Judy had already licked his asshole before, so he didn't find this anywhere as embarrassing. His panting got heavier as the seconds ticked, ticked, ticked away. Leaning forward, Nick braced himself up with his arms over her. "Ha…ha…ha…J-Judy!"

Feeling Nick tense, Judy slowed down her ministrations. Pulling her mouth away, Judy softly said, "Just let it happen, Slick." Retaking the tip of Nick's foxhood into her maw, Judy went back to suckling it like a newborn.

Nick could feel Judy's paws working on him; one in his ass, the other massaging his knot. The moment Judy gave his cockhead a rather powerful suck, Nick lost it. Yipping, he started cumming straight down Judy's throat. He had to lock his muscles to prevent himself from moving erratically and forcing Judy to deepthroat his cock.

Moaning at the taste of Nick's seed, Judy guzzled it quickly so that it wouldn't build beyond what she could handle. As the volume of Nick's loads lessened, Judy let a small amount remain within her maw, having a plan for it. When Nick slowly withdrew his dick from her lips, she gently grasped his chest ruff and pulled him into a messy kiss.

Tasting himself through the kiss, Nick couldn't stop the smile that formed on his lips. Unfortunately, it was at that moment in time the beast surfaced. However, unlike earlier, Nick decided maybe it would be okay, just this one time, to temporarily set him free.

Detecting the shift in Nick's overall demeanor, Judy separated from the kiss to gaze at him. The sight of feral eyes, like those of a primitive savage returning it sent a thrill through her, causing her arousal to skyrocket. Judy immediately realized what had happened. "Hi." she greeted somewhat shyly.

"Hi, yourself, Love." was the response given. Nick's voice was slightly different, due to the shift in mindset. While it was still Nick, this was, in fact, the beast that resided in the deepest, darkest depths of Nick's mind. Pressing down on top of her, he didn't do anything except lay there. He rumbled as Judy stroked and caressed the top of his head and ears.

"So," Judy began. "You're the beast." Seeing the smirk that he sent her, Judy asked, "Why have you been giving Nick such a hard time?"

Sighing, the Beast answered, "Because he's stubborn, and so that he remembers me. I used to be the one responsible for keeping him alive. Then, you came along and took over that role. The instant he started falling in love with you, I knew what my new role was: making sure he could protect you." Flicking his tongue out to lick her nose, it continued. "I'm suppressing Nick right now because I need to ask a favor from you. Please convince him to embrace me again. We're essentially two parts of a whole. I know it may take some time, but he's not complete without me."

Before Judy could answer, she watched as those feral eyes revert to a more civilized appearance, letting her know that Nick had retaken control. Seeing his confusion, Judy asked, "What is it?" She squeaked when Nick rolled them over, pulling her on top of him.

"I would have thought he'd do something else instead of just lay there with you." Nick supplied. He gave Judy ass a firm squeeze, eliciting a pleasured gasp from her. "If it had been me, I'd've teased you mercilessly until you were writhing under me, begging me to take you."

"Hmm." Judy hummed contemplatively. "You could still do that, you know. There's nothing stopping you."

"Nah." Nick replied, running a single claw down the side of her neck gently. "I'll do it some other time. For right now, I just want to lay here with you on my chest and spend some time talking with you."

So, that's exactly what they did. They talked about the little things on their minds, sharing memories, thoughts. Nick petted and stroked Judy's ears all through their conversation. Judy ran her stubby, dull claws through Nick's chest fur while he did so. Eventually, they got to a topic which needed to be discussed: them.

"I think there are a few of our colleagues who'll support us, but I'm not sure." Judy stated. "Clawhauser's definitely one. Maybe Fangmeyer and Wolford. Probably Marcus, too."

"I can tell you who won't support us." Nick replied. "Bernhard Hotch." He heard Judy growl as he said the name. "I think he might even be a purist."

"Hotch can burn in Hell for all I care." Judy voiced menacingly. "That buck needs to be put in his place. As for the possibility of him being a purist, I doubt it. I'm a bunny and he's a hare. Both lagomorphs, different species. He's probably against inter-order pairings."

"Regardless, he's going to be a real problem." Nick mused. "What about your parents? Do you think they'll be accepting? I mean, we know my dad accepts us. How about yours?"

"I don't know." Judy confessed sincerely. "I mean, my mom probably suspects. She's a rather sharp one. I know she's become more openminded, but there's no real way of knowing for certain how she'll react. However, my dad will probably have something to say about it. He'll more than likely behave as one would expect a father to towards a potential suitor. He's trying to be more accepting of new concepts."

"We're flying out in two days." Nick reminded her. "Do you think we should see if my dad and his associates will come with us to visit your folks before heading overseas? After all, it could be a while before we come back."

After a brief consideration, Judy answered, "Yeah. I think that would be a good idea. Plus, we need to run by the precinct anyway. That box of evidence that was delivered to us, I think I know what it is now."

"The evidence of the original murders my father told us about." Nick stated. "I've been thinking the same thing. Of course, back then they didn't have access to everything we have now. Plus, our killer has been on and off for a couple of decades at intermittent intervals. Although our killers obviously not the perpetrator from back then, he's emulating them with near perfect precision."

While Nick spoke, Judy maneuvered herself a tad to reposition herself on his chest. She felt him shiver as the tip of his cock grazed her lower lips like a feather. The sensation did wonderfully, wicked things to the two of them, but Judy whispered, "Very soon, I'll going to have you claim me, Nick. You had better be ready for it. For now, though, we should get ready to meet up with your dad and his team."

An hour later, Nick and Judy were showered, dressed, and making their way downtown towards the precinct. Stopping at their regular coffee shoppe, the two settled themselves in one of the booths. Judy was on the phone speaking with her parents about possibly visiting. At the same time, Nick was on the phone with his father discussing it as well.

"I don't see why not." Senior answered after a moment of silence. "It would probably do us all some good to take a momentary step back and relax. Are you sure they won't mind?"

"Judy's discussing it with them right now." Nick replied, glancing over at his doe. "I'll text you their answer once we have it." Think about it for a bit, he added, "Dad? Have you ever…felt afraid of yourself?"

"Sometimes." Senior admitted. "However, I don't want to have this discussion over the phone. Let's talk about it later, when we're together."

"Yeah. Okay." Nick told his father goodbye and ended the call. By then, the barista had their orders ready. Retrieving their drink orders, Nick and Judy resumed their journey to Precinct One. They stopped for a minute at a park along the way, to watch the kits play.

"Have you ever thought about having kits?" Judy asked suddenly. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Nick frown a bit. "We'll probably never have any of our own, you know."

"You don't know that." was Nick's response. "Life always finds a way to surprise you. Everything evolves, adapts. That means there is a chance we could have our own biological kits." He then added, "You're right though. The chances are rather slim, but it's not impossible."

"That's true." Judy admitted. The thought of possibly having kits with Nick gave her a warm, bubbly feeling. There really was no way of knowing what kind of surprises Life would throw in their direction.

When they finally arrived at the precinct, Nick and Judy waved to Clawhauser before heading to their shared office. Reopening the box of evidence that they had received earlier, the two sat down and began examining them with more scrutiny. Finding the old phonograph cylinders at the bottom of the box, Nick contacted a Finn to see if they could borrow his phonograph.

Judy quickly created a timeline of the murders based on the notes kept in the memo booklets. She constructed a visual using the photos, notes, tacks, and twine upon the large corkboard which adorned their office wall. She stepped away to look at her work. When their office door opened, Judy turned to see Finn carrying in his antique phonograph and give it to Nick.

Having managed to identify the order in which the phonograph cylinders were produced, Nick started by putting in the first one. Sitting down next to Judy, he listened to the voice of Inspector Declan Wolford. Nick felt obligated to ask their colleague Wolford if they were related.

The wolf spared no details, describing absolutely everything and painting elaborate mental images. There were also a few cylinders made by a Nathan Fangmeyer, making both Judy and Nick wonder if possibly these two were ancestors of their coworkers. The tiger's reports were just as detailed as those of his partner. After a few cylinders, they had to take a break to get something to eat and drink.

"Those investigators seemed ahead of their time. Wouldn't you say, Nick?" Judy inquired, taking a bite of her salad. "I mean, they pushed to have photographs taken of the crime scenes, decided to keep audio records on phonographic cylinders, and their notes are highly detailed."

Nodding, Nick stated, "They were smart. They even managed to preserve a ton of evidence for in the future. I must give them props for it."

"We're not investigating the original crimes, but I think if we did, it would help with our own investigation." Judy stated. "After all, our killer seems to be emulating the original. It could give us insight."

"I agree with you." Nick commented. "How do you think we should go about it? Pay a visit to the crime lab? Or, go see a few outside specialists?"

After considering it for a bit, Judy answered, "Actually, I think a few of my siblings could help us. We'll have to wait and see. My parents should be calling me soon with their answer."

Finishing their meal, the two returned to their office so that they could continue. Listening to some more cylinders as they worked, Nick and Judy started making their own notes about the case. A few minutes later, Judy's phone started to ring.

"This is Officer Hopps." … "Uh-huh." … "Yes." … "Great." … "Thank you." Hanging up her landline, Judy stated, "Grab your gear, Slick. We've got a potential witness."

Gathering their stuff, the two walked to the garage and got into their cruiser. Pulling out onto the roadway, Judy drove them into the Nocturnal District. Their destination was Precinct 24. Upon their arrival, the two were greeted with the sight of reporters, who immediately began to try interviewing them. Ignoring the 'parasites', they strode into the building to meet with their so-called witness.

As it turned out, their witness was a blind mammal. Still, he was able to provide them with a bit of information that surprised them. After interviewing him, they quickly returned to Precinct One to check out the validity of the information given to them.

"Anything?" Judy asked her fox after a couple of minutes. "Because I've got nothing. I haven't found anything regarding the Moira Bedlam Asylum."

"Well, I got something, but it's not much." Nick told her. Passing over the printout he had, Nick stated, "Here. Read this and tell me what you think."

Speedreading the news article, Judy understood what Nick meant about it not being much. There was only a single mention of the place throughout the article. Other than that, the clipping was about the fire that had claimed the structure years ago, and its aftermath. "This is all just before the first set of murders." Judy mused aloud.

"Yep. The first murder happened roughly a week afterwards. The second followed a couple of months later. Murder number three took place a few weeks after the second. However, we now have something of a starting point." Remembering the killer's words in the recording of Mrs. Batsarab's assault, Nick pulled up Vlad Batsarab's records. Amongst the list of places where the vampire bat had formerly been employed was the Moira Bedlam Asylum. "Check this out, Cottontail. Vlad Batsarab was once an employee there."

Walking around to read over Nick's shoulder, Judy wondered, "Our killer was involved in that fire, wasn't he? All this originated there. Just what happened in that place, and why can't we find anything about it?"

Before Nick could answer, Judy's mobile notified them that her parents were calling. The doe went outside to take the call, leaving Nick alone to ponder why there were no records about anything regarding the Moira Bedlam Asylum. He could think of a few reasons: the records had been destroyed in the fire, they'd gotten lost somewhere in the old document storage building, or whatever happened there was being covered up by someone with a lot of influence.

"My parents said they'd be happy to let us stay with them. As long as we're fine with dealing with the mayhem of preparing for the local festival that's taking place soon." Judy told Nick as she reentered the office. Seeing that Nick wasn't paying attention, Judy sneakily clambered up to sit on his lap.

Feeling the unexpected pressure, Nick was brought back to reality to see Judy straddling him. Placing his paws on Judy's hips, he gave her a sheepish grin. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention. What were you saying?"

"My parents said they're fine with letting us stay with them until we head overseas." Judy reiterated. "What were you thinking about, Slick? You had this look of concern."

Sighing, Nick replied by asking, "I was thinking about something that has me worried. What if the reason we can't find any record of what happened there is due to a coverup? Do you think it's possible someone with a ton of influence covering up what took place there?"

The thought had crossed Judy's mind. Knowing Nick shared her thoughts made her smile a bit. "Of course, it's possible. If that's true though, we've got to be very careful about how we move forward with our investigation."

Grunting in agreement, Nick said, "Alright, Hoppity-Hopps. Get off. We must get back to work."

What neither of them realized was that just a short way away a black-cloaked mammal observed them. They also never noticed that this mammal followed them up until the point of entering the precinct. However, once inside, Nick peered over his shoulder just in time to witness the tip of their tail disappear around a corner. Not thinking anything of it, Nick followed Judy back to their office.

The tod and doe studied all the preserved evidence of the original murders thoroughly and with keen eyes, looking for any clues that might've been missed. Nick sent a text to his father telling him they were all invited to join them on the trip to Bunnyburrow before focusing on the task at paw.

Nick and Judy both lost track of time, not realizing how late it was until Bogo came in to tell order that they head home for the night. Acquiescing, the two clocked out of work then made their way to Judy's apartment. Except, just before entering, Nick asked, "How about we go to my place this time? I'll need to grab a few things there anyway before we head to your folks' place."

Giving Nick a nod, Judy fell in behind him as they headed to his apartment. A bit excited to see where Nick lived, Judy wondered what type of décor he had. Her mother had always told her one could learn a lot about a mammal by how they decorated their home.

When they arrived, Nick waved to a few of the more sociable tenants, escorted Judy upstairs to his apartment, then led her inside, locking the door behind them. "Take a seat, Carrots. It could be a while. Gotta make sure I grab everything."

After Nick disappeared up the staircase to the bedroom loft, Judy scanned her surroundings. Her ears drooped at how utterly bland it all was. It seemed so sterile, without a iota of Nick's personality. The colours were plain, there were no decorations adorning the walls, and it felt so empty despite the furniture. There wasn't a television or radio, but one corner had a bookcase with a rather comfortable looking rocking chair next to an antique oil lamp. That was the only thing with any form of personality to it in the apartment.

Walking up to the bookcase, Judy studied the spines. There were a few titles she recognized: _Bunnicula, Phantasm of the Opera, The Pictograph of Damien Grey_ , and, interestingly, _the Strange Case of Dr. Jackal and Mr. Hyde._ Judy figured that Nick felt empathic towards Dr. Jackal, who also had an inner beast from which he suffered.

While Judy was busy with looking around, Nick gathered and packed everything he thought was necessary to bring with him. A couple of the items he knew Judy would have a problem with, but Nick chose to pack them anyway. Hopefully, he'd get her to understand why he was bringing it all.

Turning to look at himself in the mirror, Nick found his inner monster staring back at him. This time though, it didn't appear to be antagonistic. Rather, it looked as if though there was an expression of serenity which adorned its muzzle. In the blink, the reflection reverted to his actual self again.

Picking up his luggage, Nick rejoined Judy, who he discovered looking through some of his scrapbooks. The one Judy was currently looking at held most of his precious memories concerning her. There were photos of the two together in various places throughout the city, ticket stubs to movies they'd seen, random tidbits she'd given him such as a pressed flower. It was a treasure trove of moments, irreplaceable memories with her, that he cherished.

"You sure are sentimental, Slick Nick." Judy told him after he sat down next to her. "Keeping all of these things safe like this? It'll lead me to believe you've been pining after me for a long time."

Nudging the ear closest to him with his nose, Nick whispered, "I have been pining after you for a long time. Too long for my liking. It was a price I was more than willing to pay though." He wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into his side. "I don't entirely know at what point I started falling in love with you, but I don't give a fuck about it anymore. I'm just happy knowing we're together now."

"Me too, Nick. Me too." Judy whispered back. After a few minutes like that, Judy said, "Come on. We should get to my place. We've got an early morning train, and we need to be well rested."

The journey from Nick's apartment to Judy's wasn't a very long one, only about a quarter of an hour. However, it seemed like longer once they noticed how some mammals were looking at them. Some had expressions of disgust, others sorrow, a few even gave them smiles of acceptance, but those were few and far between. By the time they got to Judy's apartment complex, the two had kept count of how many of each expression they were sent. Surprisingly, sorrow was the number one, as if they were sorry for the hatred they had to endure simply for loving a member of another species. Upon reaching Judy's floor, they had another surprise waiting for them: a team of CSIs.

"What the hell!?" Nick all but shouted, rushing to see what was going on inside. Seeing Wolford and Higgins, he demanded, "What's going on here? Why are you here?" He got his answer after quickly scanning the place. Everything in Judy's apartment was either broken or destroyed.

The sight of her place in such a state had Judy gasp the moment she stepped inside. She hadn't even lived in the apartment that long, and it was already a crime scene. Judy felt Nick wrap her up in his arms protectively, returning the embrace instinctively. After Wolford and Higgins were through, the four of them went down to Precinct One to deal with the paperwork before Judy and Nick were brought before Chief Bogo. Along the way, they passed Bernhard Hotch, whose expression seemed off by a single degree as he watched them pass by him. Nick had a feeling the hare was involved but had nothing to prove it.

After everything was done, Senior came to collect them, then brought them to his hotel room, which had a second bed. Agreeing to talk about the situation tomorrow morning, they all went to sleep. In the meantime, across the city, the muffled screams of Bernhard Hotch were being enjoyed by the Apex Omnivore.

Meanwhile, in his sleep, Nick once more found himself within the deepest, darkest depths of his mind. However, this time his counterpart wasn't confined within the cage or bindings. The two stared at one another for a moment before Nick said, "You're probably right. There's a possibility that my absolute best won't be enough. So, here's what's going to happen. We're going to help each other. You'll train me while my body rests in the waking world, and I'll allow you a modicum of the freedom you so desperately desire."

Giving Nick a smirk, the beast stated, "I can agree to that." At a snap of his fingers, the entire mindscape changed into a type of training grounds. "I hope you've prepared yourself, because I'm going to put you through Hell."

* * *

 **Post-Chapter Author's Note:**

 **Next chapter will see our heroes travel to the in-verse version of London (Zootropolis, duh).**

 **There'll be a small part at the end where the ZPD will find something horrid. No spoilers though.**

 **I'm still waiting for murder ideas for the sand cat psychotherapist to be sent via review.**

 **Although, I never did specify to send it via review. Meh. You know now anyway.**

 **If anyone is even the least bit concerned about Bernhard Hotch, he'll live.**

 **I've still got a whole lot I need him to do. So, I can't kill him quite yet.**

 **Thomas and Marcus will continue to appear, and so will Samantha.**

 **Last thing: If you understand the Pre-Chapter Author's Note, I tip my hat to you.**

 **If not, think about it for a bit. You'll eventually understand.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Pre-Chapter Author's Note: Consider, if you will, the phrase 'Two sides of the same coin'.**

 **What is it exactly that separates them from each other?**

 **A fine line.**

 **Hero from Villain.**

 **Life from Death.**

 **Man from Beast.**

 **Genius from Insanity.**

 **They are all merely the crossing of a fine line away.**

 **What causes one to cross that line though?**

 **Love? Dracula willingly made a deal with the Devil to protect his wife and child.**

 **Envy? The desire to possess something that isn't your own? Such as the biblical tale of Bathsheba, whose husband was murdered by the king, all so he could have her as his own.**

 **Avarice? The want for wealth or power? That one is prevalent in today's day and age.**

 **There are many reasons one crosses that fine line.**

 **Would you?**

* * *

Chapter Ten: The Fine Line

Zootopia Surgical Center

It was only the beeps and blips that told the team of surgeons Bernhard Hotch was still alive as they proceeded to ensure he remained that way. However, the extensive damage had already resulted in the hare flatlining on the operating table twice. Although they had managed to resuscitate him both times, the chief of surgery, who had taken it upon himself to operate on the hare, knew the risks involved if it happened again. In his experience, mammals didn't even survive receiving the amount of damage the hare had endured.

From the viewing galley overhead, Chief Bogo and Interpol Special Agent Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Senior watched as the surgical team attempted to save Bernhard Hotch. In Bogo's hooves was a file containing all the evidence compiled thus far, and none of it was for the faint of heart to see. Most of it, irksomely, was provided by the Apex Omnivore himself. There were photographs, a video, and audio recordings, which had gotten transcribed by the cyber division of the ZPD. What transcriptions revealed didn't bode well for the hare though.

"I still find it difficult to believe." Nicholas Senior stated. "Had I not heard it with my own ears, I probably wouldn't even consider it possible." The older vulpine extracted a toothpick from his pocket and took it in his maw. "I never expected this."

"Neither did I." Bogo confessed. "Then again, we never expect for any of this to happen. He's either deviating, or he's got another agenda we have yet to discover."

"Looks like they've finished." Senior stated, gesturing into the operating room. Through the glass, the chief of surgery indicated for them to join him just outside the operating room. Doing just that, Nicholas Sr. asked, "Odds?"

"If he makes it through the night, I'd say he'll probably pull through." the chief of surgery told them. "However, based on the extent of the damage, I highly doubt he'll be able to continue as a police officer. His muscles are practically shredded, he was nearly exsanguinated by the time he got here, causing a lot of muscle death, and most of his bones weren't just broken, they were shattered almost beyond repair. It's a miracle he's even still alive."

Bogo grit his teeth. "So, your saying he'll require special attention for the rest of his life." It wasn't a question, but an observation. He didn't doubt the chief of surgery's assessment, but Bogo required clarification.

"Yes. That is exactly what I'm saying." The chief of surgery rubbed the back of his neck. "In all honesty, it's quite possible he'll never be allowed to leave the hospital. The level of damage he's sustained is just that severe." Paws falling to his sides, he added, "Between us, had he flatlined a third time, I'd've been forced to call Time of Death."

Nodding in understanding, Nick Sr. asked, "Would it be possible to receive a copy of your report? Just for our own records? I have a mammal that could use it to update the profile of our perp."

"I'll see to it personally." Having finished, the chief of surgery said his goodbyes then went to handle that very task. Along the way, he informed the staff to keep a close eye on the hare's condition, emphasizing its priority.

In the waiting room, Nick, Judy, Marcus, Thomas, and the rest of Precinct One who were off duty awaited news of their comrade. Thomas was only there due to being an inpatient himself. However, Marcus was on a conference call with his fiancée and Bernhard's In Case of Emergency contact: his mother. Nick and Judy were looking over a copy of the file in Bogo's possession.

"He's insane." Judy muttered under her breath. "How the hell did he think doing this would make me leave you? I swear, he's got to be a special kind of moron."

"Yeah." Marcus stated. "I have to agree with you on that, Hopps. We even showed him the video of the sparring match between Wilde and Bogo. I though for sure it would dissuade him from doing something like this, but it would appear I was wrong."

"Look. Here come the Chief and I.S.A. Wilde." Thomas said, pointing at the two approaching mammals. When they halted, Thomas asked, "How's he doing? Will he make it?"

"We don't know." Bogo admitted. "The chief of surgery says if he makes it through the night, there's a good chance he'll survive. He also informed us not to get our hopes to high about it though."

"Chief, about what we discussed," Sr. began only to get cut off by the buffalo.

"Go. You all will have a lot more to deal with than we will. However, I still expect to be kept informed of your progress overseas." With those words, Bogo had Wolford and Higgins escort them out of the hospital.

"Take us to the train station, please." Nick Sr. requested of the two officers. While in transit, the older tod asked Judy, "Have you informed your parents they'll be hosting three predators? Specifically, three vulpines?"

"I have." Judy answered. "They've prepared separate guestrooms for each of you." What she didn't say was that she and Nick would be sharing her room, at her mother's insistence. Not that it was required, but it set off warning alarms in her head that her mother did indeed know she was seeing Nick.

"Wonderful, but I wouldn't be opposed to sharing a room." Senior admitted. "Of course, then I'd be forced to endure the near-constant squabbling between Jack and Skye. I just hate the idea of taking up so much space that could otherwise be used for something else."

"Believe me, we have plenty of room. My folks are constantly expanding the burrow to accommodate the ever-expanding numbers of our warren." Judy grumbled. "So, we always have plenty of room. Whether we need it or not."

The rest of their ride went by in complete silence. When they arrived at the train station, the three of them joined Jack and Skye on the train, which still had a few minutes before departure. As the train started moving, Nick said, "You know, this will be the first time out of the city. Other than that one time when…" Nick trailed off, lost in thought.

"When you, your mother, and I went to the cabin the summer before I left." Senior finished. Sighing, the older tod said, "Your mother hated that place, even though she had never been there. I only managed to keep it after convincing her I'd give it to you when you came of age."

"You still have it don't you." Nick guessed. Seeing his father nod, Nick looked at Judy. "Well, I do think I'm of age. I know where I'm taking you when we have enough free time."

Judy blushed red enough to match Nick's fur. "Not here. Not now." Judy whispered harshly. She didn't need to smell of arousal when her parents picked them up at the train station in Bunnyburrow. Thankfully, Nick conceded, beginning to converse with his dad instead.

"You nervous?" Jack asked Judy when the two lagomorphs had decided to grab something to eat.

"I've been home exactly once since Nick joined the ZPD." Judy replied. "So, yes. I'm nervous. I'm so nervous, I don't even know if I'll be able to keep this down upon arrival." The doe had no idea why she was suddenly feeling so hungry, but Judy started snarfing down a massive salad with gusto.

Jack watched as she devoured her meal like a mammal who had, until recently, suffered from starvation. "Have you and Nick mated?" Seeing the glare sent his way, Jack clarified, "I ask because usually the only time a doe eats so much is when…well, you know."

"I'M NOT PREGNANT!" Judy shouted, causing Jack to flinch. "NOW, SHUT THE FUCKING HELL UP, JACKSON!" She stood and left, taking the salad with her.

Blinking, Jack looked around at those staring at him. "Sorry about that." Quickly following behind Judy, Jack found her curled up into a ball, sleeping in Nick's lap with the tod's tail wrapped around her.

"You mind explaining why Judy came in here crying, Jackson?" Nick growled threateningly. His pupils shifted into slits, out of his father's view. "Don't make me ask you again."

Swallowing, Jack stated, "I…I, uhm, it's possible I could've incorrectly implied something she didn't like." Taking a step back as Nick leaned towards him, Jack said, "I'm sorry. I really am."

"Not yet, you're not." Nick stated gravely. "However, should you make her cry again, you will be. That I promise you."

For the rest of the trip Jack kept a clear distance from Nick. Instead, the jackrabbit stayed with Skye, who was reading a novel in a separate compartment. After a while, Skye asked, "Wanna talk about it?"

"No." Jack answered. "I would like to know why you ask though. It isn't like you at all."

Skye snapped her book shut and tossed it to the side. "I know. I'm not being myself at all recently." Rubbing her eyes, she added, "I hate this. This time of year is hell for me. It always is. I'm not thinking straight. Not even a little bit."

"Oh, that's right. Winter is right around the corner." Jack observed. "It'll be your mating season soon. Still have no idea what that has to do with you being nice to me."

"You're an idiot, Jack." Skye mumbled. Sighing, she gave him a look, pleading for him to understand. "How long have we known each other?"

"Quite a while." Jack replied. "Almost ten years really." Smiling at the memories they shared, good and bad, it hit him as if he were standing in front of the train they were currently aboard. "Oh."

"There it is. Now, he gets it." Skye said softly, with a sad chuckle. "Ten years of memories where you're the sole consistent male in my life. Besides Wilde Sr. of course."

"Wow. I…just…wow." Jack sat there, thinking about what Skye had just told him. "So…what are you trying to say? That you want to mate with me?"

"No." Skye stated vehemently. "I'm not interested in mating at all. I'm not going to be a slave to my hormones, or the season. I'm just letting you know I'm not entirely myself. I'm also warning you not to anger Nick Jr. He will kill you."

"Duly noted." Jack turned his attention to the scenery speeding by beyond the window. Yet, the jackrabbit's mind continued to think about those savage eyes Nicholas Jr. had had. Jack knew he could directly ask about it, but he mentally filed it away for later.

The rest of the trip to Bunnyburrow went by rather quickly. Judy, now more composed, explained that her parents would be picking them up at the station instead of having to walk. When the train reached the Bunnyburrow Station, Judy disembarked first to scan the crowd for her parents.

"Mom! Dad! Over here!" Judy called out, waving a paw in the air to get their attention. Giving them a hug when they got close enough, Judy said, "I've missed you." Pulling away, she introduced the others. "This is Nick, my partner at the ZPD. Nicholas Piberius Wilde Senior, Nick's father and an Interpol Special Agent. Jackson Savage, an associate of Sr.'s and an agent with the ZIA, and ZBI Special Agent Skye Glacier, another associate of Sr.'s."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Bonnie greeted shaking the paws of Senior, Jack, and Skye before embracing Nick in a strong hug. "I do hope you all are hungry. I've afraid I probably made to much food in all my excitement."

"I'm famished." Skye replied. "We basically had to skip breakfast earlier." Checking her pocket watch, the arctic vixen saw it was only 9:25 in the morning. "We're off our regular routine schedule by approximately an hour and 55 minutes."

Stu, who had simply stood there smiling, said, "Well, in that case, let's get moving. Most of our older kits will have already headed to tend the fields after dropping the younger ones off at school. So, the house will be quiet enough for y'all to catch some shuteye after a good hearty meal."

Walking out of the train station, Judy and company noticed that her parents were making their way to a truck with a trailer attached. Bonnie and Stu got into the cab of the truck while Judy and the others rode the trailer. The backfire of the truck had Nick snort in amusement. Judy rolled her eyes knowing what he found so funny. After all, it sounded exactly like backfire of the van Finnick owned.

A notification ping alerted Judy to the fact she got a text. Pulling out her phone, Judy saw it was from Bogo. "Hey, listen to this." She read the message out loud for everyone.

"-Further investigation into the evidence provided by the Apex Omnivore indicates he had stalked Officer Hotch for some time. There's also proof that Officer Hotch spent his suspension in questionable company. We're currently running down leads, but it would appear the break-in of your apartment isn't the first offense Officer Hotch has performed. After speaking with his parents, who were in no way surprised to hear of his current condition, we're now looking into all known associates, both personal and professional.

Also, Officer Hotch has regained minimal consciousness. Doctors believe he'll be coherent enough to question in the next 24 hours, should he make it through the night. You will be receiving copies of all this in due time to file a lawsuit for insurance purposes. I will forward you more when I have it.

-Bogo."

"Glad to know their making headway." Nick grumbled. "I wish I could be there to question Hotch myself. Fucking bastard buck."

"Calm down, Slick." Judy soothed. "Trust me, I feel the same way. However, if it were either of us doing the interrogation it would've been viewed as biased. Plus, we're hunting down a much more important target right now. Keep your head in the game."

"Something about this doesn't sit right with me." Skye murmured. "I heard the recording our Unsub left behind. It didn't sound anything like the one left at the crime scene of Mrs. Batsarab. In that one, he sounded deranged. In the one for Officer Hotch, he almost sounds…civilized."

"Dissociative Identity Disorder? Multiple Personalities? Lucid moments in-between bouts of insanity? There's no telling." Jack rattled off. "Or, it could potentially be that our target's psyche is fractured. Over the course of this case, he's been brutal, vindictive, merciless, and volatile to remorseful, regretful, and even apologetic. No standard profile shares those traits."

"Then let's revise the profile." Senior stated. "We know the Apex Omnivore is highly intelligent. That hasn't changed. His age is indeterminate, yet he's estimated to be between 38 and 45. With our newly acquired evidence, we know that's the first error. The appropriate age range is between 28 and 35. Only ten years shaved, but it makes a stark difference. We know he's a he, voice analysis proves that. We know he's a predator, and roughly our size, if just a wee bit larger. Intermittently manic with moments of civility. He's purpose driven, criminally and forensically sophisticated, and has some knowledge of military and surgical techniques. The way he kills his victims seem reminiscent of the original murders back in Zootropolis. He's never killed any victims in the exact same manner, but he has used a few variations. At several crime scenes, it would've been impossible for him to slip away without somebody witnessing it. So, we know either his appearance doesn't draw attention, or he doesn't leave any type of impression on anybody."

"Don't forget to factor in the apparent psychological, emotional, and physical trauma." Nick reminded. "Obviously something horrific happened to him at the Moira Bedlam Asylum. Plus, we should also consider each of the mammals in that photo found at the Batsarab home. Clearly it was the one he mentioned in his recording."

"Fair enough." Jack stated, nodding. "Vlad Batsarab is a vampire bat in his late 50s. Graduate of one of Zootopia's many collegiate academies and possesses a doctoral degree in applied psychology. Married, no children. Has a brother who's married with one child who's now deceased, Timothy. Evidence shows extensive torture culminated in forced overdose."

"Ursaline Friedkin, elderly female polar bear." Skye listed. "Former psychiatric nurse at Moira Bedlam Asylum. Cause of Death: Lethal injection of morphine in her sleep. Sexually violated after death. As no records from the Moira Bedlam Asylum have been found, nothing is known about her time working there. However, judging on how he killed her, she was evidently kinder than the others."

Hearing the trucks brakes engage, Judy said, "We'll finish this later. For now, let's engorge ourselves on my mom's cooking and grab a few minutes of sleep." With everyone in agreement, Judy, along with her parents, led them to the dining room. Food was spread out across the entirety of a long table, ready for them to eat.

After they had all rushed forward, piled food onto plates, and sat down, Bonnie and Stu stated, "There are a couple of things we'd like to discuss with y'all." Seeing Judy's fearful eyes, Bonnie gave her a comforting smile. "We didn't mean to be invasive and pry, but Stu and I did a bit of research." Nudging her husband, Bonnie said, "We got you something."

Stu took out a small notebook and gave it to Judy. "We asked around to see if anyone would be willing to give us the contact information to some…support groups, I guess you could call 'em. There's also a few phone numbers for specialists in Zootopia, as well as neighboring areas, that'll assist you however they can. Plus, a couple dozen or so secure websites your more open-minded siblings provided for you to check out."

Blinking repeatedly, Judy accepted the small notebook and looked through the entries. A couple of the websites she had already visited, but a few of them were new to her. She recognized one number as Fru-Fru Big's, reminding Judy to call her and check in on her goddaughter, Lil' Judie. One website, near the end, had Judy blush brighter than the sun. The name left no doubt about what kind of website it was.

After eating, and a short conversation between Judy's parents and Jack, everyone was led to their rooms. Rather ironically, they were divided into groups: Jack and Skye shared a room, much like Judy and Nick, while Senior got his own. The older tod muffled a laugh as he entered his room and apparently passed out from exhaustion. Jack and Skye were just happy they didn't have to share a bed.

Nick and Judy entered Judy's old bedroom to get some sleep before lunch. After all, they hadn't gotten much sleep due to the assault on Bernhard Hotch, which forced them to head for the hospital only mere minutes after falling asleep. Collapsing onto the bed together, they curled into each other.

Meanwhile, Stu and Bonnie packed the remaining food into Tupperware containers and stored them away in the various refrigerators throughout the kitchen. Once that was done, the two older bunnies sat at a table with cups of carrot tea. It was time for **the** discussion.

"What do you think? We haven't actually spoken to him yet, but I think he's a good match for Judy. How about you, Stu?" Bonnie inquired.

Shrugging, Stu answered, "As you said, we haven't spoken to him yet. So, I don't really know. There's something about him though that makes my skin crawl. I mean, he obviously won't hurt her, but I feel a little concerned."

Frowning, Bonnie replied, "You do think he makes a good match though, don't you?" Seeing her husband shrug again, Bonnie sighed and ran a paw down her muzzle. "Stu, really? Are we honestly going to have this conversation for…I can't even remember how many times we've already had it, but I know we've had it plenty already. Judy won't find a buck. She doesn't want a buck. She will never choose a buck. So, will you please, for the sake of my sanity, get over the fact our daughter will never take a buck as her mate?"

With a 'harrumph', Stu took a drink of his carrot tea. "Still don't see why she wouldn't." he mumbled. "There are polyamorous bunnies, after all."

"Our daughter isn't polyamorous, Stu. You know that. Hellfire, she only went on those dates with bucks to get us to leave her alone. Stop being difficult about this." Bonnie chided.

Grimacing, Stu muttered, "Fine. Yes, I think he's a good match for her. However, mark my words, Judy will understand that, if she ever wants kits, she'll need to find a nice buck. Like that Agent Savage, for instance."

"I have no desire to have kits with your daughter." Jack stated as he walked into the room, causing the older couple to jump. "I previously had a relationship with her and screwed it up irreparably. I also highly doubt your career-driven daughter would want kits anytime soon."

Gesturing to Jack, Bonnie said, "You see, Stu? Even he understands. Why can't you?"

Stu stared at his wife. "What's so wrong about wanting to see her be a mother and have kits? Why can't I want that? Don't you want that?"

"No." Bonnie stated resolutely. "No. What I want is to see Judy happy. I don't care with who. I don't care how. I don't care why. So long as she's happy, I am." Setting her carrot tea off to the side, Bonnie inquired, "Did you take your medication this morning like the doctor ordered?"

Blinking in surprise, Stu eyes narrowed in thought. "Uh…I don't remember." he admitted. Standing, he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a pill case. "Doesn't appear so." Popping two tablets, he took a swig of his carrot tea.

"Stu," Bonnie scolded. "You know how important it is you take your medication. The doctor said your brain chemistry changed after the accident. He made sure to emphasize the importance of taking your meds."

"Sorry, Bon." Stu said, softly. "I just forgot this morning. I was excited to see Jude."

Sighing, Bonnie told him, "I know, but your health is just as important. So, please, don't forget to take your medication." Seeing Jack's curious expression, Bonnie said, "He had an accident that resulted in needing medical attention. One of the tests showed a change in his brain chemistry and mental faculties. Other than that, he's fine."

"I see." Jack stated. Sitting down, the jackrabbit asked, "Can I inquire about something?" Getting a nod, Jack asked, "Has Judy ever told you anything about Nick that made you worried?"

Shaking her head, Bonnie answered, "Not a thing. I mean, at first, we were a bit surprised upon learning he would be her partner on the force, but later, we came to realize he was the best one for that role. We even went to his graduation. He's very polite, if protective of her."

"Yes. I've noticed." Jack replied. "You've never felt threatened by Nicholas Junior? In any way at all?"

A frown took over Bonnie's expression. "No. Never. Why do you ask?"

Shaking his head, Jack explained what happened on the train. Stu and Bonnie's expressions didn't change in the slightest as they listened. Jack finished by stating, "You have to understand, I had never encountered a mammal who seemed both savage and in control simultaneously. It makes me wonder if, possibly, he himself isn't a monster of some kind."

Drumming her fingers against her beverage glass, Bonnie asked, "Have you ever heard of the Fine Line?" Noting Jack's head shake, Bonnie nodded, "Not a lot of mammals have. The Fine Line is a strange phenomenon. Tell me, Jack. How far would you go? If someone you loved was in danger, would you willingly become a monster? Would you cast aside everything about who you are to protect them? Not all monsters are evil, you know. The Fine Line is the reason for becoming one. Love is a wonderful yet dangerous thing. It can transform you into a monster for the right reasons, and the wrong ones too."

* * *

 **Back in Zootopia**

Chief Bogo had yet to leave the hospital. With Bernhard Hotch now considered a flight risk due to his involvement in the B&E of Hopps' apartment alongside an unknown number of accomplices, the Chief had taken it upon himself to guard the hare. It had only been a couple of hours since the hare's surgery, but Bogo wasn't the type of mammal to let a suspect out of his sight for even a second. Therefore, he had begun working out of the hare's hospital room from a laptop provided by the ZPD's cyber squad.

In the room's other bed, Mrs. Batsarab was being attended to by a nurse. The female vampire bat had regained consciousness a couple of time for no longer than an average of 5 seconds at a time. Her less severe injuries had already begun to heal, but the loss of her wings was permanent. Still, it was miraculous she had even survived at all.

Clawhauser would run by to deliver items Bogo would request, but other than the cheetah, only Thomas Catlahan bothered to visit. The feline had stopped by a few times to get an update on Bernhard's condition until he finally decided to remain there and keep Bogo company.

"I've asked around about Bernhard's movements during his suspension." Thomas stated. "I'm not saying I don't trust my fellow officers, but sometimes they aren't the best in keeping tabs. A couple of my C.I.'s told me Hotch would visit one particular address regularly." Giving the buffalo a small slip of paper, Thomas said, "If I were you, I'd give it a visit. I'll stay here and keep an eye on him. You should lead the raid."

A quick glance at the address told Bogo it was located near the heart of Zootopia. Informing Thomas to keep him apprised of any changes in the hare's condition, the buffalo called for a SWAT team to meet him at the address asap. Within a quarter of an hour, Bogo, along with a full SWAT team were geared and prepared to storm the address of an old warehouse in the center of the city.

"Alright. Breach." Bogo whispered. The elephant officer kicked in the door and the entire unit flooded into the place. What they found had them gag. "Well, I definitely wasn't expecting this." Bogo murmured. "Sweep the area." he added. While the rest of the officers proceeded to check the rest of the building, Bogo looked around the main area. "Fact or Fiction?" he asked himself.

The entire main area was covered in blood. Hanging at varying heights from the ceiling were the corpses of different mammal species. On the walls hung medical diagrams that indicated where to create incisions on various species of mammal. A set of autopsy tables were spread throughout the warehouse, some with bodies, some without. Other tables, covered in containers of unknown liquids, were also visible. However, one thing in particular stood out.

Ear flicking as a tiny, continuous clicking reached him, Bogo moved to a recorder. Clicking play, Bogo listened as the voice of the Apex Omnivore emanated from it.

"Greetings, Chief Bogo. I'm so glad to see that my little whispers weren't in vain to drag you here. What you see around you is not of my doing, but that of Officer Bernhard Hotch. Yes. He, too, is a serial killer. However, he sees himself as a cleaner, cleansing the streets of those he feels the city can do without. Whereas I have a singular goal in mind. The carcasses you see are the victims of Bernhard Hotch and his displaced ire. His consistent failure to catch Officer Hopps' interest has manifested in this way. Each victim had taken a mate outside their own species. Quite hypocritical of him considering his main interest is a bunny rather than a hare like himself."

"This compact disk also contains data that can only be read using a computer. I'm sure you'll find it intriguing. There's a list of purists, a list of mammals he intended to purify, locations for other warehouses he used, and his daily journal. Don't mistake me for doing you a favor. I'm simply doing this because he was trying to tear Officer Hopps away from Officer Wilde. That is something I cannot forgive. Also, I'm sure you're aware of the monster residing within Officer Wilde. What you saw is nowhere near the true savagery he's capable of if danger threatens Officer Hopps. So, fear not. I will not bring any undue harm to her."

"One last thing before I take my leave. Be cautious with the rest of your officers. There are a few that you should keep a close eye on for the foreseeable future. You'll find a list among those on the compact disk. As for Mr. Vlad Batsarab, he's currently overseas. That being said, I've left the city for a while as I hunt him down. Oh, and you should get back to the hospital before Officer Thomas Catlahan finishes debating with himself about killing Officer Bernhard Hotch. After all, what would you do if you discovered that one of the mammals you trusted is responsible for the death of your parents?"

Rushing out of the warehouse, Bogo raced to a cruiser and sped back to the hospital. Kicking the door to the hare's patient room, Bogo shouted, "On the ground Thomas!" He watched as the feline stared at him then roared, lunging at him. Firing two shots, Bogo shot Thomas once in the chest and once in the head. Thomas's body hit the ground with a resounding thud. A clatter drew his attention to a cellphone. Picking it up, there was one voicemail. He selected the message and again the Apex Omnivore's voice came over the speaker.

"Did you make it in time? I hope you did. Are you curious how Thomas came across the information about his parents? It came from me. No, I didn't lie about any of it. Bernhard Hotch is responsible for the death of Catlahan's parents. He's also responsible for the death of Ursaline Friedkin. You'll find Officer Hotch is quite a necrophile. All the corpses in every warehouse he owns will have his biological fluids inside. I'll see you around when I return from killing Vlad Batsarab. Until then, happy hunting for the other bodies I've left lying around."

* * *

 **The Next Day – Bunnyburrow Airport**

The Bunnyburrow Airport wasn't all that large. Considering it normally only got used by crop-duster planes, it wasn't a surprise. Still, as Nick and Judy looked at the aircraft responsible for shuttling them overseas to Zootropolis, they couldn't help thinking it fit in with the rest stored in the hangar.

"Have you given any thought to what we talked about last night?" Nick asked Judy in a whisper. The two were seated on a haybale awaiting the pilots arrival while Nick's father and his team contacted their mammals waiting for them overseas. "Again, I'm not trying to pressure you into giving me an answer. I'm just asking if you've thought about it."

"We've known each other for almost three years, Nick. Trust me, I want it just as much. However, these things take time, and require patience. I'm not saying 'no' though, so you can stop worrying. I'm simply trying to wrap my mind around all of it." Judy patted her fox's leg, but kept her eyes focused on the cellphone in paw.

Late last night, Bogo had called to inform her of the new developments in the case concerning Bernhard Hotch and the one concerning the Apex Omnivore. Upon hearing their quarry would be overseas, she had immediately told Jack, Skye, and Nick Sr. Her cellphone had then exploded with one link after another for her to access and read. She had to have Nick read it first, because the photos that were attached had forced the doe to vomit.

Hearing what sounded like a light-footed mammal approaching, Nick looked over to see a rather large rabbit buck with aviator goggles, a flight jacket, and military tags wander into the hangar. "It would appear our pilot has arrived. Does he happen to look familiar to you?"

Glancing over, Judy gaped at who their pilot was. "Jerome? You're our pilot? Seriously?"

Jerome smiled widely at Judy. "I am indeed. I got my pilot's license last year. You would've known if you bothered checking in regularly with the folks." Gesturing towards the plane, he said, "Alright everyone. Let's get going. We got a long flight ahead of us."

After they had all boarded the plane, Jerome started it up. The plane cranked right up and slowly accelerated until the speed was enough to force it into the air. As the plane began its ascent, Judy and Nick looked out the window to start at the amazing sight.

"We should arrive in Zootropolis in approximately five to six hours." Jerome announced. "I made sure the plane had enough fuel to make the trip without having to stop for a refuel. If the weather remains the way it has been, we can probably make it closer to four."

"Gods, I hate planes." Skye muttered when the plane hit a bit of turbulence. "I really, really hate planes. Why couldn't we have taken a fricking boat?"

"Speed." Jack and Nicholas Senior replied readily.

"It would have taken too long by ship." Nicholas Senior clarified. "Time is of the essence, and we don't have much of it. Therefore, the quickest way to reach Zootropolis is by plane."

Over the next three hours, everyone tended to their own business. Nick, seeing it was a good time for it, gestured for his dad to join him in the back of the plane. The two tods sat across from each other, and Nick initiated the conversation.

"Do you recall the question I asked you over the phone?" Nick inquired. "The question about whether you've ever been afraid of yourself? Because I feel like now would be the best time to talk about it."

"It's probably the only time we'll have to talk about it, to be completely honest." Senior stated. "To answer your question: sometimes, but not always. When you have the type of job I do, you sometimes find yourself wondering if you'll end up like one of them. You can only hunt so many of these fiends before you start becoming one yourself."

"I have this…thing inside me, within my mind." Nick confided. "Something dark, beastly, in nature. It used to be what kept me alive while living on the streets, but after Judy…it went dormant. Then, when I discovered my feelings toward her, it…"

"It came back with a vengeance." Senior finished. "I know how it goes. Nick, everyone of us has something like that. Most never realize it. Some do though. That beast, monster, inner demon, whatever you want to call it, don't walk away from it. It wants to help you, despite how destructive it probably is. It's part of who you are, so don't shun it. I can understand your afraid, even terrified, of it. However, without it, you'll find yourself sorely lacking. You can't tame it, if that's what you're going to ask next. Trying to tame it is like trying to manipulate the sun and moon. Just listen to it. Let it help you."

Unable to say anything else since his father had struck upon everything he wanted to discuss. Nick leaned back in his seat. "Is it really that simple?" he questioned. "You don't know what it has done. It's killed, nay murdered, mammals, Dad."

Nodding, Senior countered, "Mammals that would have killed you had it not killed them. It needs you to survive. Just like you need it. Even if you don't want to need it, Judy will need it eventually." Shrugging, he added, "But what the hell do I know? I'm just an old tod who has seen a shit ton of things in life, experienced a whole bunch more, and still alive and kicking. Don't take my advice."

The rest of the flight was made in relative silence. Nick closed his eyes to get a bit more sleep. However, the tod soon found himself in the company of his inner demon.

"Back so soon?" it teased with a smug smirk. Snapping its digits, the mental world changed into the training grounds. "We don't know what to expect overseas. Therefore, it's even more important to be prepared. Besides, who knows what'll we'll face?"

"Shut up." Nick commanded. "Let's just get started." Much like the night prior, Nick did each task his beast gave him. He didn't know if any of this would actually do him any good, but to make sure Judy was safe, he'd go through Hell itself. In this little, isolated mental world, the concept of time didn't really exist. So, Nick just kept going. When he was suddenly ejected from that mental world by Judy giving him a gentle shake, Nick looked at her with feral eyes.

Unperturbed by the sight, Judy said, "We're here, Slick. We've arrived in Zootropolis." Gathering her things, she took hold of Nick's paw and, together, they disembarked.

The city of Zootropolis was blanketed in a dense, thick smog. Judging based on the silhouettes of Zootropolis's buildings, it was clear the city was far larger than Zootopia. Standing there, the group prepared themselves before entering the belly of the massive beast.

"Well," Nicholas Senior stated. "Let's get going. Our target is on the move. So, we should be as well."

* * *

 **Post-Chapter Author's Note:**

 **The next chapter will be either 2/3 or 3/4 Zootopia and the rest Bunnyburrow.**

 **I had someone inquire about Bernhard Hotch and his doings during the time-skip. So, hopefully this satisfies some curiosity. There's still so much more.**

 **We'll rejoin the Wilde Bunch in the chapter after next. A bit of Nick's past will make itself known then.**

 **Now, for probably the most important subject of discussion: "Job" the Apex Omnivore.**

 **He's quite manipulative, wouldn't you agree?**

 **Not once did he state anything that was an outright lie.**

 **His manipulation of Thomas Catlahan is only the beginning.**

 **Despite his madness, "Job" is obviously highly intelligent, methodical, meticulous, and manipulative.**

 **He has more planned for the city, and a few of our dear characters as well.**

 **I bid you adieu until the next chapter's release.**

 **P.S. The length of each chapter, from here on out, will differ depending on real-life events. Simply a forewarning.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: The Past Comes Back**

 **Pre-Chapter Author's Note: It isn't uncommon for police officers to get a second opinion from outsourced experts. Usually this helps confirm or deny certain findings before going to court. Interestingly, in some cases, you'll find an expert witness giving testimony in one field doesn't have anything to do with that field. For example, there was a case where the expert witness was explaining blood spatter, but it turned out they were an abstract painter who did spatter painting. There's also one where a taxidermist was called to give testimony regarding the skills required to perform surgically precise carving of a human being. Sometimes, fields have overlap.**

 **I've noted the pure hatred aimed at Bernhard Hotch, and some wondering how he's remained under the radar. The answer may surprise you. See link: [ 2012 / 11 / professions – most – fewest – psychopaths / ] take out spaces and brackets, copy, paste, and go.**

 **Strictly speaking, psychopaths have a chameleonic nature, blending into their environment. Sociopaths are similar but differ in certain aspects. Psychopathy is mental. Sociopathy is behavioral.**

 **Bernhard** _ **is**_ **a psychopath. One who also narcissistic, egotistical, and a few other things. In his mind, he's the primary example of absolute perfection. He also has a superiority inferiority complex that feeds into it. You'll see something about it this chapter.**

 **We see Samantha, Job, Wolford, Fangmeyer, Marcus, and two familiar muzzles. Which two, read on.**

* * *

 **Bunnyburrow**

Ever since Judy had gone and proved that a bunny could defy the typical stereotypes, many of the other Hoppses went forth to do the same. One select group, known as the Lab-Buns, was comprised of the more scientifically inclined. Utilizing one of the farm's old storage units as their lab, they operated with the best interest of the farm in mind. So far, only five Hoppses made up the Lab-Buns: Cindy, with a degree in bioengineering; Jacob, who possessed a degree in agricultural mechanics and equipment/machine technology; Bo, with his certification in soil science and agronomy; Ned, who had a certification in plant sciences; And Joyce, who handled all things medical.

Judy had requested that the Lab-Buns examine the evidence she and Nick had collected, as well as the evidence provided from the package containing the original case. Since they each had knowledge that could prove useful, and they were family, it only made sense to outsource the process to them. So, the Lab-Buns had isolated themselves within their lab, scrutinizing every iota with keen eyes.

Cindy peered into the microscope at the tiny speck of dried, coagulated blood Joyce had discovered, trying to think of a way to analyze it without risking its integrity. It was so miniscule, the chances of pulling it off were impossible. Hopefully, Joyce would be able to find another sample, if only for the sake of having one on file for comparison.

Bo, for his part, was busy studying the trace of soil under his own microscope. "Red clay? Where in Zootopia would there be red clay?" Pulling up a soil map of the city, Bo blinked in surprise. There were quite a few areas where red clay could be found. Including one particular area within the Nocturnal District. "Hm. Interesting."

Joyce stared at her computer monitor, looking at the enhanced image onscreen. Switching her focus to the article of clothing underneath the high-resolution camera, the doe grabbed a pair of tweezers and, with one last glance at the computer monitor, carefully extracted a strand of fur. "It would appear we have DNA after all." Joyce murmured to herself.

At another table, Jacob was examining the photographs of the various wound types which the victims possessed. He also had multiple serrated, blunt, and unorthodox items which could be used as weapons. Looking from one photo to his assembled armaments, Jacob selected a penknife then held it up to the wound. "Close. Really close, but not close enough." Setting the knife down, he selected another. "Still not an exact match."

Ned, sitting by himself in a corner, studied a readout he recently printed. " _Midnicampum holicithias_? Oh, cabbage patch. This isn't good."

Entering the lab with a tray of foodstuff, Bonnie said, "I've brought y'all something to eat. I also come on behalf of Chief Bogo, who wants to know what you've found. I don't think he's too pleased knowing evidence left his station without sanction."

A ding alerted everyone that one of the machines was done processing its contents. Cindy leapt up, grabbed the printout, and scrutinized it. "Mom. I need you to contact Chief Bogo and tell him to be on the first train out. This isn't something you say over the phone."

* * *

 **Zootopia Surgical Center**

The first thing Bernhard Hotch registered upon regaining consciousness was the fact he was secured down onto a hospital bed. The second was the repetitive beeping from the machines to which the diodes on his chest were attached. The third was a very irked, menacing Chief Bogo glaring down at him from his bedside. Painfully gulping, Bernhard Hotch, in a voice hoarse from disuse, asked, "Did you get him? The Apex Omnivore?" The hare turned his head towards the other figure standing next to Bogo. Seeing his union rep, a sense of dread filled him.

"Officer Bernhard Hotch," Chief Bogo stated. "You are hereby under arrest for the murder of 25+ mammals in the first degree. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney. If you cannot afford one, one will be appointed to you by the court. With these rights in mind, are you still willing to talk with me about the charges against you?"

Hotch stared at the buffalo in confusion. "What the hell are you babbling about, Chief? What is this? A joke? Because if it is it's not funny."

"Oh, this is no joke. I can guarantee you that, Mr. Hotch." Elkridge stated. "I know you know who I am. I know you know that when I get involved it's not a prank." Laying his copy of the file against the hare before Bernhard, he added, "I'm simply here because until you're convicted you're still considered a police officer. Not that it'll last considering the evidence against you."

Hotch didn't even have to glance at the file long to know what it contained. "Who provided you with this? The Apex Omnivore? What makes you think any of it is real?"

"The fact that I went to every one of your warehouses myself." Bogo seethed. "What you left behind at each consisted of journals, recordings, and various other things which identified you as the culprit. All the evidence gathered pointed squarely at you without fail. We spent hours verifying the validity of each piece of evidence. Nothing was tampered with in the slightest."

Expression hardening, Bernhard gave Bogo a death glare. "You know what I loathe the most? Those who think like you. I did my job. I cleansed this city's streets of the worthless trash and malignant tumors threatening it. You, and those like you, should be thanking me, awarding me. Instead, you treat me like _him?_ You stupid, fucking retard! Don't you dare treat me like a criminal. I'm doing what you refuse to do. Those like Hopps and Wilde, interspecies lovers, they're a disease that needs to be eradicated. You simply let them continue such abhorrent deviancies rather than quell it like necessary. Take me to court. I'll reveal their secret and have the public rally against them and those like them."

"I'm afraid that won't happen, Mr. Hotch." the stag replied, sounding bored. "I've taken great pains to research a few things. Do you know what I discovered?" He continued without giving the hare a chance to answer. "I found a large percentage of those living in Zootopia don't actually mind interspecies relationships. Sure, they act as though they do, but only to protect themselves. Truth is, everyone thinks everybody else is against it, yet very few truly are. Even the judge assigned to your case is pro-interspecies, and secretly married to someone of a species different from her own."

Bogo then spoke before Hotch could respond. "As for the Apex Omnivore, he left a message for you." Setting down the cassette player he had in his pocket, he pressed play. The Apex Omnivore's voice emanated from the speaker, making the room seem a whole lot colder.

"Ah! Bernhard Hotch, the bastard of Precinct One. I must admit, I had hoped you wouldn't survive, but in the words of the infamous Buck Jaeger you can't always get what you want. Regardless, you're probably wondering why I chose to target you. It's simple. You irk me. It's those like you who make me sicker than the fucking plague. I know all about you Bernhard Hotch. I know all your darkest secrets. Don't believe me? Well, I do. I know that you're a hypocrite. Your family are purists, but you want a bunny doe rather than a hare doe. What would mommy and daddy say?"

A harsh snarl escaped Bernhard Hotch. However, since it was merely a recording, it did nothing.

"You act all superior, but deep down you know how weak you really are. You try and cover it up by playing Top Dog. You lied on your ZPA application, too. You have been arrested before. You were 16 when convicted of murder over in Hareshire. You had killed the 15yr old doe you impregnated when she refused to get an abortion. Of course, mummy and daddy never learned that your victim was pregnant with your kits."

The heartrate monitor was blaring alarms. Bernhard Hotch was thrashing around, tearing stitches. He was determined to break that damn tape player.

"Oh, and let's not forget your drug habit. How much of your paychecks have gone towards purchasing those narcotics? Over half? Then the fact you were married once, but it ended in divorce after your wife left you for another buck. Got tons of kits now, doesn't she? Why don't you have any kits, Bernhard? Oh, that's right. You're sterile thanks to your drug addiction."

The maniacal laughter that was heard from the tape player had Bernhard Hotch howl in rage. Doctors raced into the room, brought by the alarms. They found themselves struggling to get the hare under control.

"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!" Bernhard screeched repeatedly. Suddenly, he seized, his body going into shock.

Bogo and the stag exited the room leaving the recording of maniacal laughter playing. They walked down the hall towards the elevator. Stepping inside, Bogo asked, "What of my shooting? Have I been cleared?"

"You have, but they're keeping your firearm temporarily. It'll be returned within two weeks." Folding his hooves across his chest, the stag stated, "When do you leave for Bunnyburrow? I happened to overhear a bit of your cellphone conversation."

"I'm heading to the office then the train station." Bogo replied. "I'm not thrilled about what Hopps' decision, but I'll admit that if I were in her position I'd've done the same. No chance of anyone even considering the evidence is there."

"If Hotch survives, he'll probably be catatonic. Even then, any jury would still call for the Death Penalty." the stag informed. "I'll take care of everything here. You get to Bunnyburrow. From the sound of it, what they found is important."

Nodding, Bogo stepped off the elevator as the door opened, leaving the stag alone. When the elevator doors closed, the stag pulled his phone out and dialed a number. "It's me. Officer Hotch probably isn't going to make it. … Yes, I understand." Hanging up, he prayed.

Across Zootopia, the mammal on the other end of that same call set her phone aside tossed it away before cuddling with the other mammal in the bed. He had slept for a long time after returning to her, not that she blamed him. After all, it was a miracle he could do anything physical. Unfortunately, Samantha had to wake him.

"Job? Sweetheart? Time to wake. You've got work to do." Samantha whispered, gently rocking him.

Cracking an eye open, he groaned. "What time is it?" he mumbled questioningly. Although, he had planned to leave yesterday, his visit to Sam's den resulted in him staying in the city awhile longer.

"Almost noon." Samantha replied. "If you're going to arrive on time, you'll need to leave in ten minutes." Laying a kiss on his scarred cheek, she got out of bed.

"You don't have to, you know." Job informed her. "I'm not forcing you to do anything you don't want to do. You can still walk away from all this."

"Hell no! I'm not letting you do this solo." Samantha growled out. "We'll do this together. Got it?"

Huffing, Job sat up and got out of bed himself. "Yes, dear." Hearing a soft chuckle from her, Job smirked as best he could at Samantha. "You remember what you need to do?"

"Yep. Not overly excited, but I've got it down." Samantha told him. Buttoning her pants, the vixen checked her appearance in the mirror.

"Lovely."

Turning towards Job, Samantha smirked. "You're just saying that to get back into my pants." The grin he gave her made her smirk become a smile. "Thank you."

Humming, Job pulled on his cloak. "Now then. I'll be off. Don't forget to keep me updated." Giving her a kiss as he departed, he said, "Love you, Sam."

"Love you, too." Samantha called after him. Locking up her place, the vixen hailed a cab to the train station. Her role right was to reestablish contact with Nick and Judy. They needed to know the whole story. Job had told her everything, and she needed to relay it to them. Problem was she didn't know where they were. She had an idea, but it had to be confirmed first. Which is why she was following Chief Bogo.

Marcus stood in the ZPD's morgue, gazing at the corpse of Thomas Catlahan. He was still trying to wrap his mind around it. Before him was the body of a friend. One of his best friends at that. His girlfriend had offered to come with him, but Marcus felt this was something he had to do alone. Now, staring at the body, he felt like an idiot for not having accepted her offer.

"He didn't feel anything." the coroner reported. "The headshot killed him instantly. The shot to the chest was likely a result of firearm training."

Nodding his understanding, he asked, "Anything else?"

Shaking her head, the coroner said, "Not really. His personal effects were examined earlier. Nothing out of the ordinary. Other than that cellphone anyway."

Grunting, Marcus inquired, "Any idea why?" He watched as the coroner sighed sadly.

Walking over to the storage wall, she opened two drawers. Pulling out the bodies, she answered, "Meet his parents. Originally, we suspected the Apex Omnivore was responsible for their deaths, but evidence revealed it was Bernhard Hotch."

Swallowing, Marcus replied, "Guess I would've tried to kill him too." A thought occurred to him. "How did the Apex Omnivore even get in contact with Thomas in the first place?"

"No idea." the coroner answered. "Then again, that's not for me to find out. I just tell you how victims died."

"Right. Thanks." Marcus walked out of the morgue and towards his office. He had work to do.

Sitting in the breakroom, Wolford and Fangmeyer watched as the other officers went about their business. In truth, they were waiting for a chance to slip away unnoticed. Finally, their opportunity came, and they didn't hesitate to take it. Escaping to the basement bathroom together, they locked the door.

They threw themselves at each other. Too long had gone by without them having a moment to enjoy such intimacy. A knock on the door caused them both to growl. "WHAT!?" They hollered.

"The Chief needs to see you." Clawhauser's voice was conspiratorial. "It's important."

Groaning, Wolford and Fangmeyer exited to follow the cheetah. Upon entering Bogo's office, they found themselves facing the precinct's psychotherapist.

"Where's the Chief?" Wolford questioned.

"On his way to Bunnyburrow." the sand cat answered. "I need to speak with you two about something. The fire at the Asylum all those years ago."

Ears perking at the sand cat's words, both leaned in to listen.

Setting a large file down, the sand cat explained, "I used to work there in records. However, what we did was never made public. Yes, we took in mental patients, but that's not the whole truth either. The faculty never made it clear what they did. Ten years prior to the fire, we were bought by a private investor who proceeded to reform what we did. The horrors of what took place there can be found in that file. It's the only copy you'll ever find. I only managed to save it thanks to Mr. Wolven."

"Mr. Wolven?" Fangmeyer inquired.

"He ran the place. I don't know what happened to him after the fire, but I know he survived." Pushing the file at them, she added, "I have the feeling my days are numbered. So, I wanted someone to have this. You two were the first who came to mind."

"If you were in records, why would he come after you?" Fangmeyer asked, while Wolford skimmed the file's contents.

"Because this file contains everything he could ever hope to know about himself." Wolford answered for the psychotherapist. "We've considered the possibility he has a fractured psyche. He's probably struggling to remember anything about his life prior to becoming who he is now."

"That's right." the sand cat confirmed. "I probably know who he is, but I doubt I remember. There were hundreds of names, and not all of them memorable."

"If you can't remember, he'll kill you for not giving him what he wants." Fangmeyer surmised.

"Exactly. I've memorized each name in that file. Hopefully, I'll be able to put a name to him. However, if not, I want that to be safe."

In Zootopia's sole supermax prison, Dawn Bellwether sat in her cell reading a novel. Glancing at the clock, she sighed wearily. It was only 12:30 in the afternoon. It would soon be time to eat, but she wasn't hungry in all honesty. The resounding 'CLICK' of the lock disengaging drew her attention. Dawn blinked as the ewe watched Leodore Lionheart entered her cell.

The two stared at each other for a short bit before Lionheart sat at the far end of the ewe's cot. The lion looked tired, worn out beyond belief. His once brilliant mane was disheveled, oily. He looked a lot older than he was.

"I need your help, Dawn." Leodore admitted. "Before you say anything, please hear me out. We both know between the two of us, you were the better one. I didn't give you enough credit. However, right now, I'm facing a crisis, and I could really use your help."

A beat of silence.

"About damn time." Dawn muttered. Getting into a sitting position, Dawn stated, "If were exchanging confessions, I'm sorry for what I put you through. Not that it's a defense, but if you had simply listened to what I would tell you, none of what happened would've come to pass. However, what's done is done, and we can't change the past. Therefore, let's focus on the here and now. What do you need help with?"

"Have you heard of the Apex Omnivore?"

A nod.

"You've been keeping track of the investigation?"

Another nod.

"I don't want you as an assistant mayor. I want you as my equal. However, I need something from you before I spring you from here."

"What would that be, Leodore?" Dawn inquired. He could ask for anything, but he was giving her the power to accept or deny. It was an interesting shift in power between them.

"You'll have to agree to a list of conditions decided by the city council. I've managed to limit it to three, but they aren't negotiable." Extracting a sheet of paper, he read: "Condition one: A military-grade tracking chip implanted in neck. Condition two: Remain within the designated areas. Anywhere else is to be accompanied by…yours truly, Leodore Lionheart. Condition three: If even one mistake is made, immediate return to prison."

"I can agree to those conditions." Dawn stated.

"Great. I'll let them know. I'll collect you tomorrow. We'll talk about your duties then." Leodore got up to leave, but he stopped before exiting the cell. "I did listen by the way. I just…I was too prideful in myself to even consider any of it. You were right though, about what you said way back when. I'm a coward acting tough. I've always been like that even when we were kids. You were the one who defended me all the time. I wanted to be better, but it cost me so much. Including our friendship. It isn't worth anything, I know, but I'm sorry." He then left.

Dawn sat there staring at the door of her cell. She remembered when the two were younger how Leodore was always a scaredy-cat, frightened by his own shadow. The ewe had seen it happen but hadn't fought the change he underwent to become who he did.

"You're still an idiot, Leodore. I had a reason to defend you. You just never realized it." Dawn climbed up to peer out the cell window. "So, you want to kill in my city, do you? Sorry, but I won't let you continue."

Bogo grumbled as he squeezed his way into the large-to-a-bunny storage building. Taking a seat, he said, "What have you discovered?" The five lagomorphs stood in a straight-line, side-by-side, almost militaristically.

"Your killer is a mongoose." Cindy began. "One that's been exposed to _Midnicampum holicithias_ repeatedly to the point he gained an immunity. He's been residing within an old church in the Nocturnal District. One made primarily out of red clay. He's got a number of health issues based on our blood analysis. His constant exposure to _Midnicampum holicithias_ has resulted in frying his pain receptors. It's also given him increased speed and reflexes. If you're wondering how we know this, it's from the blood analysis. Blood can tell you a lot."

"You're sure he's a mongoose?" Bogo questioned. There weren't many in Zootopia, less than a thousand in total. If they were right, it significantly limited their suspect pool.

"Yep. The genetic markers don't lie." Joyce answered. "DNA proves it. Your killer is a mongoose."

"This church? Do you know where in the Nocturnal District it stands?"

"I've narrowed it down to a three-square city block area." Bo replied, giving Bogo the chart. "It's made primarily out of red clay, but I did find traces of ash as well. I'd guess the church had a fire at one point."

"There's only one church in the Nocturnal District that ever had a fire. St. Luci's. Over a thousand casualties." Bogo murmured.

Jacob then began to speak. "His extremities are somewhat damaged. His claws have been altered, and not by choice. They're serrated and forcefully extended. Either that, or his fingertips were removed for the same effect."

"You're saying that they removed a portion of his digits to 'lengthen' his claws?" Bogo questioned, receiving a sideways nod and shrug. "Okay, but why do I get the feeling your holding something back?" The silence was deafening.

"We decided to see if the DNA was registered in CODIS. No match. So, we ran it against the database of missing mammals. That time, we got a match." Cindy explained.

Joyce passed the buffalo a sheet of paper. "I personally triple checked the validity for verification. It's no mistake."

Bogo stared at the information sheet, a sense of dread settling over him. Gazing back at him was the photograph of a young mongoose. Not just any young mongoose either, but the most famous missing mammals case, second only to the fourteen missing mammals the Night Howler Conspiracy involved. Jay Ichneumon, male, age 5.

The case harkened back to before Bogo was even on the police force, but he knew the story. Jay's father was former military and stumbled into the Precinct carrying his deceased mate, covered in blood. Jay's father was rushed to the hospital. Along the way, he informed that his son was taken by their assailants. He died on the operating table. For 8 years, practically every resource was diverted towards finding Jay. Ironically, it was also around that time another JTR Mauler copycat was at large. With the ZPD desperate to end the reign of terror, Jay was all but forgotten by a hoofful of officers who continued to search for him. However, nothing ever came of their investigation, and they had no choice to shelve it in the Ice Box with the rest of the cold cases.

"Oh, fucking damn it."

* * *

 **Post-Chapter Author's Note:**

 **Oh, fucking damn it indeed.**

 **The character of Jay Ichneumon, or "Job", is based on a cold case from a long time ago. Still unsolved, too.**

 **Young Maxwell Kavanaugh age 8 was kidnapped during a home invasion in which his parents were murdered. Years later, the kidnapper stumbled into a police precinct bleeding out slowly onto their floor. In his last moments, he told the story of how he killed a family, took their only son, and over time discovered he had sealed his fate. He died en route to the hospital.**

 **During that time, a serial killer was on the loose that constantly taunted and toyed with law enforcement. Maxwell would "pretend" to be many different people to evade detection. Psychopathic personality, sociopathic behavior, uber-genius level intellect, highly intuitive, adaptive, and possessing an immensely powerful sense of self-preservation, Maxwell remained at large for years before revealing himself. Even then, there was nothing law enforcement could do. For reasons unknown, no records were kept concerning the case. Either due to the sheer absurdity of it, or to "save face" and kept their reputations intact, those involved turned the tale into a legend shrouded in myth. Maxwell was never convicted. Also, there is no record of his death anywhere. Many questions still remain unanswered concerning the case.**

 **Next Chapter will focus on the Zootropolis investigation. We'll also see the team encounter Jay/Job, who'll reveal a secret concerning Nick's past.**

 **As you've guessed, the stag Police Union rep is in league with Jay/Job. However, to see just how deeply, you must wait a little bit longer.**

 **The sand cat psychotherapist will meet her end in two more chapters.**

 **Although it seems Samantha and Jay/Job both have the same mission, there's a slight difference. Can you figure it out?**

 **Lastly, I've got a question. Anyone want to guess what happens to Bernhard the chapter after next?**


	12. Chapter 12

**Take a moment to think back on your past.**

 **There are undoubtedly things you never once though would come back to haunt you.**

 **When they do though, brace yourself.**

 **Your past dictates your future.**

 **No one can escape their history.**

 **No matter what you do, it'll find a way to let itself be known.**

* * *

To try and compare the difference in size between Zootopia and Zootropolis was like comparing a pebble to a boulder. Neither Nick nor Judy had ever felt so tiny. If not for Wilde Sr. they would have definitely gotten lost within mere seconds. The two figured Jack was more at home having originally lived in Zootropolis, a fact which was confirmed when he called out and greeted certain mammals by name. Then, before either were aware of it, the jackrabbit buck had disappeared from sight into the masses.

The first place they visited was the Zootropolis Bureau of Detective Services, or ZBDS. From the outside, the building didn't draw too much attention, but inside was a different story entirely. It looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. Deputy Chief Lynux, ZPD's IT Department head and Cyber Crimes Unit Chief, would've thought she died and gone to heaven if the female lynx were with them.

On one section of the wall, Nick and Judy could see their personnel files displayed via large monitors. While approaching them, they were stopped by a red panda who directed them to continue following Wilde Sr. and Skye. Upon reuniting with the others, Nick wrapped his tail around Judy's waist. He was beginning to feel real uneasy about all of this.

"Stay close to us." Sr. stated. "These guys…they aren't your friends. Not the enemy, but definitely not friendlies either." Leading them further into the building, the older tod said, "This place is probably the number one authority when it comes to surveillance. They've got some of the best coders, hackers, and cybersecurity specialists in the world. If these mammals weren't on our side, and you gave them an hour, they'd fucking rule the damn planet." Stepping into an elevator, he pressed the button for sublevel six. "So, I say again: Stay close."

"Do we have a location on him yet?" Director Klawden inquired of his tech analyst. Receiving a negatory response, he sighed. "I was every bit of footage we have examined frame by frame. If he flew in with his own two wings, I want to know, and I want to know yesterday. Capiche?" Getting affirmations, he turned to look at his guests. "Damn. You got old, or at least older anyway."

"You're a riot, Klawden." Senior replied sarcastically. "This is my son, Nick, his girlfriend, Judy, and you already know Skye. Everyone, this is Director Fredward Klawden." After a quick exchange of pleasantries, Senior asked, "Nothing on Vlad Batsarab yet?"

"Nothing. He's gone totally off-grid. Strictly cash, payphones, telegraphs, age-old technology." Director Klawden ran a paw over his muzzle. "I've got every single one of my best mammals working on this, but we've got nothing. It really, really irks the hell out of me."

"I can imagine." Senior stated. Turning to his team, he said, "Go. Mingle. Learn things."

Nick and Judy made their way towards an open computer, situated next to a rather bizarre looking puma covered in tattoos. Remembering Senior's words, they refrained from initiating conversation. So, they were quite surprised when the puma was the one who spoke first.

"I must say, not at all surprised they pulled you two into this mess." Giving them a smile, she added, "Name's Roxy. I'm Old Klawden's second-in-command around here. If you need anything, come see me. M'kay?" Glancing over her shoulder, she whispered, "Don't tell anyone I told you this, but I've gone ahead and granted you both priority security clearance. You have full access to our entire database."

"Thanks." Judy whispered back. "Do y'all really have nothing concerning Vlad Batsarab? I find that hard to believe honestly."

Sighing, Roxy replied, "It's more that he's doing things the old-fashioned way. We can keep track of anyone so long as there is a digital trail to follow via electronics. However, this guy isn't using any modern tech. Instead of credit, he's using cash. Rather than making calls on a cellphone, he's either using telegraphs, burn phones, or some other means of communication that's not electronic. I mean, we can track payphones, but it's a hassle to triangulate."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but Vlad Batsarab flew into Zootropolis using his own two wings after catching a connecting flight from Purenze [1]." Nick informed. Turning their computer monitor towards the puma, he said, "See? That's him right there. Judging by his body language, he's spooked about something. The video shows him constantly scanning his surroundings, like he's looking for something in particular."

"The Apex Omnivore." Judy surmised. "He would probably be exhausted after flying such a long distance. Especially while lugging a large rucksack like the one he's got strapped to his back. He's not young either, so that's a major factor."

"I've seen older bats fly the Channel without getting winded." Roxy countered. "Although, you could be right. Give me a second." With a few keystrokes, she pulled up the vampire bats information. "Says here that Mr. Batsarab has a few medical conditions he'd need to visit a physician to check constantly. One's an upper respiratory infection that never truly went away. He probably flew the Channel then had to get examined before continuing on his way. Since he's a Chiropteran, he'd need to be examined by a specialist, and there's only so many of those."

"How many?" Judy inquired. "If there aren't a lot, we could interview them lickety-split." She saw the puma frown. "What is it?"

"I've got a report here that indicates an incoming aeroplane isn't responding to the Control Tower." Roxy explained. "Before you ask what that has to do with this, the aeroplane originated in Zootopia. I get the feeling we all know who's on it."

Meanwhile, Jack Savage stood on the front step of a rather nice-looking brownstone. Straightening his necktie, the jackrabbit prepared himself for what he'd find inside. Opening the door, he was immediately tackled by a young rabbit buck. Letting out a loud 'OOPH', he stumbled backwards while holding onto the kit. "Hey, Monty. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great now that you're back, Dad." Monty answered, hugging the older buck tightly.

"Monty, we've been over this many, many times. I'm not your father, I'm your uncle." Jack told him with a sigh. "I'm not even your uncle by blood. I'm your honorary uncle due to your mum being my kithood friend from the streets."

"Well, you do spoil them all like they're your kits." an angelic feminine voice stated from atop the stairs.

Looking towards the source, Jack smiled at seeing Monty's mother, Angelina. "I won't apologize for that." Setting Monty down, he said, "I made another stupid mistake, Angelina." He watched sigh with a sad, understanding smile. After all, it wasn't the first time he'd visited following a failed attempt at settling down.

"Come on inside." Letting Jack enter her home, Angelina sent Monty to join his siblings in the kitchen. "I'm going to assume you're in Zootropolis on a case." Getting a nod, she said, "I swear Monty keeps hoping you'll ask for my paw in marriage. He really like you."

"Not the best at keeping relationships." Jack commented. "Wouldn't like to lose this." he added, gesturing between them. Sitting on the couch, he was completely unprepared when she sat in his lap, but his paws instinctively wrapped around her waist. "Well, this is unexpected, but a pleasure."

"Oh, do shut up, Jackson." Angelina scolded. "Now, tell me about her. What's her name? What's she like?"

"Her name's Judith, and she's a police officer in Zootopia. Her hobbies include crime literature, police procedurals, and trivia." Jack continued to list tidbits until Angelina put a paw over his mouth.

"Enough of that. I want you to tell me how you lost her. What did you do, Jackson?"

Huffing, Jack said, "I left. I got scared and ran off, leaving her behind. Afterwards, I realized my mistake and hoped to patch things, but by then she had moved on to someone I can honestly say is a far better male than I." Smiling wryly, he added, "Even if he is a dangerous tod, he's still a better male than I. He's willing to sacrifice everything for her. I can't even bring myself to consider doing the same."

"Hold on a minute." Angelina told him. "She's seeing a tod? Like a fox tod? And, she's a bunny doe? Oh, wowzah! That's amazing."

Snorting, Jack said, "Of course, you of all mammals would say that. You're probably the most openminded mammal alive. I'm being perfectly serious though, Angelina. He's dangerous. I mean, lethally dangerous."

"That's good. Tods tend to be real territorial of their mates, or potential mates." Angelina expressed with a gleaming smile. "I kinda wish I could meet them both."

"Well, we're all on the same case. So, you probably will." Jack resituated her next to him. "I've got to go. I wasn't even supposed to visit."

"You be safe out there. You hear me, Jackson?" Angelina commanded. "Also, don't forget I expect you here on Monty's special day. If you're not, there's not a force in this world that'll keep you safe."

* * *

Across the city of Zootropolis, Vlad Batsarab sat in a bar, awaiting the arrival of his old colleague, Hans Platts, a monotreme. It wasn't often the bat felt skittish, but this was one of those rarer times. The entire time, Vlad couldn't help feeling as though someone was following him. It had left him constantly looking over his shoulder in fear. He had lost count of how many drinks were consumed while waiting, but he had managed to remain sober enough to recognize Hans when the platypus approached. "You're late."

"Sorry." Hans replied, taking a seat. "I feared he had got to you. Had to be sure it was you, and not him wearing your flesh as a mask. I wouldn't put it past him to do something like that."

Setting his briefcase atop the table, Vlad said, "That's everything." Suddenly grabbing Hans's shirt and pulling the platypus close, Vlad stated, "I told you it was a mistake, but did you listen? No. No, of course you didn't. You were certain nothing would come of it. You promised me that it was all over after the fire. You swore this would never come back to bite us. I ought to kill you right here, right now for all the shit that's happened in recent years."

"But, you won't." Hans's choked out. "The boss would be extremely displeased. All his hard work…"

"Screw the boss, fuck his damn ambition, and damn him to an eternity in the deepest pits of Hell. I lost my wife, nephew, and family to this maniac because of the boss. I couldn't care less about him, because I don't give a single godsdamned bloody fuck. The _**only**_ reason I'm not going to kill you is due to knowing _**HE**_ will take care of that soon enough." Shoving Hans away, Vlad vowed, "I'm make sure of that. I'll explain everything with my dying breath. Oh, and don't thing the poison you had put in these drinks will kill me. I've grown immune to all poisons thanks to your experiments. Even one's that weren't invented yet. Remember?"

Giving the vampire bat a death glare, Hans stated, "I thought you told me the experiments failed. You lied to me? Me?"

Snorting in derision, Vlad retorted, "Well, obviously. Why the fuck would I tell you they succeeded? I needed something for leverage. What better than the fact your experiment was successful?" Standing, he began to leave. "I hope he kills you slowly, and painfully."

Stepping outside, the vampire bat shivered at how cold it had suddenly gotten. The wisps of his breathing could now be seen. He knew Hans was neither dumb nor crazy enough to act against him. Knowing that didn't suppress the sheer terror of what would happen should their former employer captured him. Making his way downtown, towards where he was staying, Vlad walked at a brisk pace. The vampire bat almost felt safe and secure when he was suddenly surrounded by ZBDS agents. Not bothering to resist, Vlad let them arrest, detain, and escort him wherever they were taking him.

Watching the events unfold from around a corner, Hans sneered at the pure luck of it. At least, until he felt sharp, cool metal imbedded itself into his back, through his body, and out his chest. Looking down at the tip of what appeared to be an épée, Hans felt his blood drain, figuratively and literally. Peering over his shoulder, he found himself looking into an empty socket of a mammal wearing a black cloak. He was only able to get a single word out before death claimed him. "Fuck."

As the platypus collapsed, Job simply looked at him with a strange mixture of boredom and satisfaction. Eyes turning to observe the scene playing out a few paces away, Job sighed. Vlad capture wasn't expected, but he could use it to his advantage. After all, the ZBDS would be delivering him to Nick, Judy, and the rest. Disappearing into the shadows, the Apex Omnivore bided his time until then.

Roxy watched the arrest via CCTV security cameras onsite. She had also witnessed Hans Platts' murder at the Apex Omnivore's paw, and promptly purged it from their database. The puma knew it was wrong, immoral, and against her oath to do no harm, but she was indebted to him as well. So, she had made sure to keep a copy of the footage on a USB before purging it from the system. Sensing Klawden behind her, Roxy remained silent as she continued her work.

Wilde Sr. stood inside an empty office talking with Chief Bogo via satellite phone. "You're sure?" the old tod asked. "They verified everything? There isn't any doubt of the legitimacy of their claim?"

"None." Chief Bogo answered. "Everything has been checked, doublechecked, and triple-checked. However, I do have some bad news. Bernhard Hotch is in a vegetative state, and probably won't ever recover. The courts still wish to proceed if only to give some victims closure though. Also, the precinct's psychotherapist was found murdered early this morning. Evidence left behind points to associates of the Apex Omnivore, but we have yet to fully examine everything. I'm getting concerned this runs a lot deeper than we thought. Thomas Catlahan was one of my best officers. If he was involved, even for a moment, that leads me to believe there could be others."

"In that case, we need to find a way to identify who's in league with him. Use what we know about the Apex Omnivore and compare it to the psyche profiles of your officers. There's got to be some commonalities that overlap and/or intersect." Sighing, Senior stated, "We've managed to capture Vlad Batsarab. They're currently escorting him here as we speak. Hopefully, he can shed some light on all this mess."

"What of Officers Hopps and Wilde? How are they faring?" Bogo's tone gave away how concerned he was. The buffalo didn't express much emotion, but that didn't mean he didn't have any.

"I've sent them to their hotel for now." Senior replied. "I'm sure they're a little overwhelmed about all this. We'll keep them safe. Don't you worry." Ending the call, Senior sighed. From his point of view, everything and nothing seemed to make any sense whatsoever. They now knew who their unsub was, but it didn't help them in the slightest. Not a single piece of evidence gave them any indication as to his endgame. There was so much more they needed to know.

* * *

In the meantime, Nick and Judy were sequestered within their hotel room, a penthouse suite on the top floor of a towering structure that granted them a view across all Zootropolis from its balcony. Both had already showered for the night, and they were simply enjoying the silence together. Well, it wasn't really silent as there was soft music playing. The two had danced for a little while until relaxing on the couch in each other's arms. Neither had any desire to move, but unfortunately, nature began to call.

Groaning, Nick slowly rose from his place on the couch. He could feel Judy's half-lidded eyes on him. "I've gotta pee. I'll be right back." Before he could even take a single step forward, Nick felt Judy grab his tail, stopping him.

"Hurry back." Judy whispered seductively. "I've got plans for us tonight. Plans I'm sure you'll enjoy."

Nick didn't waste any time. When he rejoined her, it was like staring at a living masterpiece. The contours of her curves, how she had positioned herself, and that heavenly scent saturating the air was inexplicably perfect in his eyes. She beaconed to him with a finger, and he obeyed without hesitation. Stripping off what clothing he wore along the way, Nick maneuvered to lean over her.

There was something so unordinary about the feelings they had for one another, but it wasn't due to being different species. Judy had never truly entertained the concept of meeting anyone who made her feel complete, whole. Nick had lived his life never expecting to find anyone who'd ever want him. For two souls like them, to discover someone who would willingly accept all their flaws and faults, it was a miraculous blessing.

The kiss was contradictory, slow yet passionate. Their paws swept over and across the other's form, taking in every single detail, committing them to memory. The soft tune playing only served to enhance it all. Neither had any desire to stop, so they continued. A lone, mutual thought entered their minds of tonight being the night they finally became one. The passionate kisses, tender, gentle caresses, and loving whispers had them both feel more than ready.

Judy managed to shift and reposition herself so that she was on her stomach. A shiver traversed her spine at the exhilarating sensation of Nick's cock-tip ghost over her pussy lips. Raising her hips a little more, she flicked her tail, tickling Nick's tummy. Judy could feel his breath on her ears, his rough tongue as he dragged it up one, the soft love-nips he placed to her shoulder and neck. "Take me, Nick. Claim me as your one true lifemate." she whispered.

Nick didn't answer verbally, but through action. Very, very slowly, he pushed himself forward, penetrating the still somewhat virginal depths of her pussy. Slowly, because he didn't want to inadvertently cause her any discomfort due to his much larger size. The tod felt her hymen tear as he went deeper. Had he had any real coherency left, Nick would've probably questioned how she was taking all of him at one time. However, his brain was too focused on the wet warmth of her inner walls encompassing his cock. He somehow managed to keep himself still as he waited for her permission to continue.

It was indescribable feeling, being filled with Nick's hard, thick, throbbing foxhood. Judy's own brain was having a bit of difficulty coming to terms with the fact it was real, and not one of her fantasies. After releasing a long euphoric moan, she said, "Do it, Nick. Don't hold back. I can take it."

Not needing any more encouragement than that, Nick began to piston himself in and out of her tight twat. If ever there was a point in Nick's life where he felt balancing upon a razor's edge precariously with a slight lean towards true unbridled savagery, it was right then. His hips continued to piston like a jackhammer into the doe beneath him, and he didn't bother stopping each and every time she climaxed, but kept going instead, keeping her there. Nick could feel her walls clench down each time, smell the explosion of aroused scent whenever she hit that next peak.

There would be a time for much more savagely primeval lovemaking later, but for now, this was what they wanted. Crude as it was, they wouldn't change a godsdamn thing. There was nowhere else they'd rather be. Neither gave a damn if someone could hear them. Neither could have cared any less simply because they didn't care at all.

Judy's eyes shot open the exact instant it happened. Releasing a squeal of rapturous euphoria, she felt Nick's knot lock inside her. The resulting climax was so potent, she actually did pass out. When she regained consciousness, the doe found herself completely encased in fox. Nick had quite literally wrapped himself around her. She could still feel his cock pulsating within her snatch, knot keeping the massive volume of fox seed from escaping. A glance down at her body led to a groan. She looked either paunchy, bloated, or preggers.

Hearing Judy's groan, Nick snuffled around her neck, whispering, "Sorry. Didn't think I'd explode like that." Licking her comfortingly, the tod added, "I love you, Ms. Judy Wilde."

With those words echoing within her mind, Judy recalled something she read not all that long ago. _'Red foxes mate for life. If the tod ever knots to whoever he's rutting, that mammal becomes his lifemate. In a legal sense, that mammal, male or female, essentially becomes their spouse.'_ Judy wanted to let out a whoop, but she didn't. Why? It was due to an overwhelming sense of dread which pervaded the room. The doe didn't respond with Fight or Flight, but rather Freeze, and she wasn't the only one either.

Curling in tighter and more protectively around his mate, Nick's attention soon shifted towards the mammal which had somehow entered without them knowing. While he couldn't make out any real details about the intruder, Nick could easily deduce exactly who it was. "Well, hello there. I'm going to guess you're the Apex Omnivore." Although Nick couldn't see it, he was sure their uninvited guest smiled.

"Indeed, I am." Job replied. "Be not afraid of me. I possess no malicious ill will towards either of you. All I desire is a brief conversation." Reaching out for a chair, Job dragged it close and sat down. He could see Nick's eyes take in the sight of his marred paw. "Yes. You're correct in your assumptions about me. I can honestly confirm your thoughts are true facts." Sighing, he leaned back in his seat. "Before I begin, it's only proper to inform you on the condition of Bernhard Hotch. He's still alive, if only in a vegetative state." Observing their reactions, he saw they kept expressionless poker-muzzles. "I also come bearing a gift." From within the folds of his cloak, Job extracted a small USB. "This contains everything you'll require to put me either behind bars for life or sentenced to death." This did elicit a response.

"Why?" Judy question incredulously. "Why give us something so crucial? Why give it to us?" The doe had a difficult time understanding why this mammal wished to give them something which would ensure his fate.

"A show of good faith." Job answered, placing it on a nearby table. "It contains everything: what I know about myself, what I've gathered on the mammals that did this to me, and a complete list of my associates worldwide." Looking at them, he stated, "I wasn't always a monster. Once, long ago, I was simply a kit who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was forced to endure inconceivable torture at the paws of madmammals who others believed sane. The things I went through would have you experience life-haunting nightmares."

"Make no mistake, for I do desire revenge." Job continued. "However, I also have every intention of ending all this permanently, and there's only one way to do that. I fully intend to have you kill me when it's all over." Standing, Job let his cloak fall to the floor, exposing everything it kept hidden from view. He could see it in their eyes, the horror, disgust, and revulsion. Interestingly, it didn't appear those were aimed directly at him, but rather towards the ones responsible. "This is me. Look upon me and see the evil your precious city has wrought."

Nick and Judy couldn't not look at the Apex Omnivore's horrifying appearance. The scars, cracked flesh, and innumerous other disfigurements were mentally traumatizing. No words existed to precisely express it. Plus, those were only what could be physically seen. There was no telling the extent of damage his psyche had as a result of whatever happened to him. Although, clearly, he had full use of his mental faculties despite being utterly insane. The two could only continue to stare at him in alarm as he started moving, displaying how far his body's mutilation extended.

"Oh, my gods." Judy whimpered. Unable to look away, her eyes began to glisten with tears. Bogo had told her before the world was broken, but this went far beyond that. Standing in front of her was a mammal whose very existence had gotten broken by the world. Judy couldn't even begin to imagine the atrocious indignities he had suffered, nor did she have any desire to attempt it.

At the same time, Nick noticed something which startled him. There, upon the Apex Omnivore's shoulder, was an identifying mark. This was not the first time Nick had ever seen it. With a voice full of pain and disbelief, Nick whispered questioningly, "Jay?"

Flinching and shaking his head, the Apex Omnivore muttered, "No. Not now. Don't surface now. It isn't the right time." Punching himself in the muzzle, he shook his head again before replying, "I must take my leave for now. We'll see each other again. That I promise you. Be careful. I'm not the only one you need to watch closely." Leaving his cloak behind, the Apex Omnivore walked towards the balcony then leapt over its railing and out of sight.

A few minutes later, Nick and Judy were looking over the contents from Jay's USB. The more they read, the more certain Nick was that the Apex Omnivore was Jay Ichneumon, a very old friend. A couple of details didn't match, but there was very little doubt about it.

"I can't believe it." Nick murmured afterwards. "He's alive. After all this time, Jay Ichneumon is alive." He could feel Judy's eyes studying him. "Jay was older than me by a pawful of years, but we were good friends. I didn't have many, so I did my best to keep the ones I had. Even after running away from home, Jay continued hanging out with me and Finn. We were still technically kits around this time. One day, I heard he went missing without a trace. I hadn't known what to think. Did he also run away? Had something horrible happened to him? Why weren't the police more involved? Was anyone going to find him? How had this even happened in the first place? Who was responsible?"

"The press got wind of it, and they published blatant lies concerning everything about him. His parents constantly refused to comment about the situation. I took it upon myself to try and find him, but all for naught. The ZPD were eventually forced to put their investigation on ice. However, far too soon, the case faded from memory. After all these years, I could only assume he was dead. It seems so obvious now that all this was Jay's doing. The signs were clear, but I…" Nick lowered his head in shame, tears falling from his eyes. "I failed to notice them."

Judy's heart went out towards Nick. Although she wanted to say something, the doe couldn't think of anything remotely appropriate. So, she settled for giving him the most comforting embrace she could muster. The next thing Judy did was contact Chief Bogo to explain the development. A little perturbed he was aware of who the Apex Omnivore was, Judy felt pleased when learning he hadn't known about their quarry's relationship with Nick. Judy refrained from informing Chief Bogo about the USB though. She didn't know why, but it seemed like the right thing to do given their current circumstances.

Nick contacted his father to explain the situation. Although his dad told him everything would all be alright, he couldn't help but disagree. Senior also informed him they had discovered the body of Vlad Batsarab's associate near where the vampire bat had gotten collected. An autopsy was currently underway, but he doubted anything would come of it. Once told to get some sleep, Nick ended the call.

There were only two, maybe three, mammals left on Jay's list of targets. Vlad was in custody, so he was safe for now. Deciding to peruse the USB's contents again, Nick found names of a lot of mammals he though they could trust were corrupt. Among them were Roxy, various members of Internal Affairs, ZIA and ZBI agents stationed both in Zootopia and overseas, multiple influential mammals within world government, and lastly the one and only Nicholas Piberius Wilde, Sr. Except, there was a small notation indicating Nick's father wasn't aware of his own involvement with a link to another file explaining why.

Reading the document carefully, Nick learned his father had participated in numerous missions which Jay manipulated from behind the scenes. Each time, Senior had unwittingly played right into Jay's paws. The mongoose was manipulating all of them with the mastery and finesse of an expert puppeteer. As Nick began explaining this to Judy, he wondered how giving them the USB fit into Jay's plan.

"Do you think it's possible he did this to sabotage himself?" Judy pondered. "I mean, he did say his end game is for us to stop him. By giving us all this information, he's essentially made it easier for us to do that."

"I don't know." Nick admitted. "I wouldn't think so though. Jay was always the chessmaster which planned out three steps ahead, let his opponent think they're a step ahead while actually being two steps behind, and had contingencies in the event something unexpected would occur. This could just be a gambit of his."

Frowning, Judy said, "We'll keep the existence of this USB a secret. At least, for now anyway. I know it isn't proper protocol or procedure, but something tells me we shouldn't let anyone know about it just yet." Seeing Nick nod in agreement, Judy stated, "Let's take a quick shower then get some sleep. I've got a feeling we're going to need it."

* * *

 **Okay. So, you're probably wondering why the old Chapter Twelve was taken down and replaced with this one.**

 **Answer: I felt cheap reusing an earlier chapter's contents.**

 **Also, Chapter Thirteen wasn't going anywhere because of it either.**

 **I personally think this version gives a bit more insight than the previous. Now, admittedly there's a bit of information getting revealed a bit sooner than originally planned, it helps.**

 **Nick's history with Jay Ichneumon/Apex will be explained further later.**

 **Did anyone catch the sudden shift in Jay's behavior? Can anyone figure out what actually happened right then?**

 **If you can, congratulations. If not, don't fret.**

 **Next Chapter: Samantha makes her move. The sand cat psychotherapist dies. Wolford and Fangmeyer are called to reinvestigate Jay's abduction. Bogo calls in a favor to have an investigation done on the heavy hitters of IA. Bellwether and Lionheart have something like a heart-to-heart. The source of all this chaos is hinted at.**


	13. Chapter 13

**Halt. It's important you reread Chapter 12. It underwent a great deal of revisions. Explanation in its post note. Short version: I felt cheap for reusing past content. That's enough for now though. Onwards!**

The torrential downpour prompted many thoughts in Dawn Bellwether's mind as she watched it. To many, rain was depressing, but the ewe thought it cleansing under certain circumstances. Hearing the crunch of tires on gravel, Dawn redirected her attention to see Lionheart's car stop a relatively short distance away. Bolting towards it as the passenger door opened, Dawn got inside to find Lionheart offering her a towel. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Lionheart replied. He merged back onto the roadway and began driving toward their destination: his residence. "I've got my guestroom ready for you. It isn't much, but it's at least adequate."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Dawn whispered. Her eyes drifted back to the rain outside. "Exactly how many are aware you had me released?"

"Not all that many." Lionheart explained. "I only told those pertinent towards your release." Taking the exit ramp for his home, he said, "I figured you didn't want too much unwanted attention."

"It seems you're not totally without braincells." Dawn's hoof immediately clamped itself over her mouth. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't've said that. It was rude."

"Doesn't make it any less true though." Lionheart countered. "Let's not beat around the bush, Dawn. I'm not the smartest of mammals. I essentially used everyone as a stepping stool to become Mayor. You especially. It's part of the reason I need your help. Between us, you're the one most suited for my current position."

Dawn gave Lionheart a sideways glance. His expression showed nothing except sincerity. "Mind explaining the who, what, when, where, and why of this epiphany?"

"Who: my therapist." Lionheart confessed. "I have weekly sessions every Friday. The what is something she pointed out following my own release from prison, which also tells you when. As for the where: in my office. Why is more complicated, but basically it boils down to a lot of self-reflection."

They pulled into the driveway of Lionheart's home and got out. Entering, Lionheart led the ewe to her room. "As I said, it isn't much."

The ewe let her eyes roam across it, from one wall to another, slow as a snail. In total honesty, it was quite larger than most places she had lived previously. However, the room was barren except for a small bed. There was one thing that stood out. "L3?" Dawn asked, inquiring about a carving in one of the bedposts.

"Leodore Lewellyn Lionheart." The lion muttered. "This was mine as a cub. Managed to dig it out of storage. It's the only thing I had close to your size."

"Oh." Dawn softly replied. Setting down the bag of her belongings, she said, "I can tell there's a question you want to ask, Leodore. Go ahead. You have my permission."

"Why? I want to know why, Dawn. I'm certain you had a reason for all of it. Please, tell me the reason behind it all." Lionheart was aware he sounded rather pathetic. The lion watched as she considered how best to answer, or what lie would be most convincing. Finally, after what felt like an excruciatingly long wait, he was given a response.

"My parents weren't the best." Dawn began, tentatively. "If I didn't achieve a high enough grade on something in school they'd beat me senseless. My mother was a veterinarian, so they never required to visit a hospital for medical care in the event of going a tad too far. As for my father, he was the epitome of a cruel, cold, collected, and heartless bastard. I still sometimes think he was a 'wolf in sheep's wool'."

"It only worsened as I got older." the ewe continued. "My punishments became more severe. I had always thought one day my mother was going to save me, but she never did. I was utterly alone. One night, police arrived when it was only my father and I. They were there to inform us of my mother's death. Her passing made everything worse than my most horrific nightmares."

"Eventually, my father was provided with the full account of what had happened. My mother was murdered by a predator when she refused to provide him with drugs from the hospital at which she worked. This information only sparked an even greater hatred towards predators within my father. I became the conduit through which he planned to exact his vengeance."

"He pulled me out of public schooling and hired the best private tutors his money permitted. I was subjected to an education which warped my mind, morals, and beliefs. By the time I graduated college, nothing of my former self existed other than a quiet voice in the back of my mind. Right after graduation, my father was also murdered by a predator, albeit in self-defense. His killer was defending their younglings from him because he tried to murder them. I was at the trial where my father's murderer was acquitted."

"Soon, I decided to enter politics. Even though my father was gone, his voice pestered me incessantly. I continued to move forward with his plans, but it never reached fruition. All my father's plans were halted thanks to Hopps and Wilde."

Lionheart gazed at Dawn sadly. "I'm sorry you went through all that. No one should ever have to endure what you did. Had I known…" He trailed off, not sure how to continue.

The two listened to the rain outside. Both felt a bit lighter, but also felt a greater weight now. Neither moved, waiting for whatever would happen next.

* * *

It was as though his windshield wipers were mocking him. The noise they made sounded oddly like 'Dumb guy. Dumb guy. Dumb guy'. Maybe he really was a dumb guy, but Bogo chose to blame lack of adequate rest. As lightning crackled across the sky, he drove as quickly and as safely as possible towards his destination.

In Zootopia, all law enforcement agencies answer to the Internal Affairs Bureau. Normally, Bogo took great pains to keep his subordinates out of their crosshairs, but he now needed to call in a favor with IAB's chief. The old grizzly owed him quite a few and it was time to collect.

Trekking through the maze of hallways toward Chief Uri's office, Bogo thought it ironic he'd visit this place. Ordinarily, no one other than the employees voluntarily set foot inside. Reaching his destination, the buffalo knocked.

"Enter!" Chief Uri commanded. Hearing the door open, the grizzled grizzly peered at his visitor. "Now, I've seen everything. What in blue blazes are you doing visiting me, Bogo? I don't have you scheduled for anything."

"We need to talk about something I can't have made public." Bogo began briefing Uri of the situation. Nearly an hour later, Bogo concluded, "Therefore, I'm here to collect that favor you owe me."

Uri pinched the bridge of his snout rather strongly. Exhaling a heavy sigh, he stated, "I had hoped it was only a rumor. Even, potentially, a grievous error by whatever lab was used." Slamming a fist down upon his desk hard enough to break it, Uri shouted, "FUCKIN' DAMNIT ALL TO HELL!" Shoving the two halves away, he stood and walked toward his window. "For the last couple of years, I've heard whispers some of my own subordinates were dirty. I never gave it much credence until recently. Not until one was proven on a mobster's payroll. However, this is far, far worse."

"I'm well-aware of that." Bogo replied. "It's why I'm here. I want a discreet investigation into every single one of my officers. I'm looking to purge the malignant cancer from our ranks."

"It isn't only your officers though." Uri stated. "It's the entire ZPD along with every mammal in affiliated agencies, both here and overseas. Don't get me wrong. I'm all for it. I only want you to understand the sacrifice it will require."

"It's a price I'm more than willing to pay."

Reopening an old cold case required a lot of paperwork. So much paperwork in fact that Wolford felt he'd end up getting carpel tunnel from having signed his name so many times. Fangmeyer was of similar mind, but she didn't complain nearly as much as her partner. After all, she had used a stamp of her signature instead.

"I still think that's cheating." Wolford grumbled from his seat on the other side of their shared desk. "I mean, imagine if someone else uses it. There's too much at risk."

"I keep it under lock and key." Fangmeyer reminded him. "Plus, there's only one key, which stays in my breast pocket at all times. The risk is minimal."

Huffing in annoyance, Wolford resumed his task of organizing all the old information.

To any outside observer, they behaved like an old married couple. The two were regularly teased for it as well. Yet, only a pawful of mammals knew their secret. Fangmeyer continued using her maiden surname after they had married to keep others from finding out she was mates with Wolford. Both strove to keep home and work separate, but it was always a challenge. Still, they made it work, and made it work well. They weren't normally permitted to work together anymore, so it was a treat for them whenever they did.

"I find it hard to believe no one ever came forward with any information." Fangmeyer stated, ending the silence between them. "He was so young, and nobody saw anything. It doesn't seem right."

Sighing sadly, Wolford said, "I know. I feel you. If, by some bizarre miracle, we have kits, cubs, pups, or whatever we call them, they'll have tracking chips implanted until their at least 17."

"Don't you think that's a little excessive?" Fangmeyer queried. "What if they're simply on a date? Are you going to storm into the room and drag them home by their ear or tail?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm going to do." Wolford answered quite bluntly. "I'll probably be old, but I'll never be old enough to have grandbabies."

Snickering, Fangmeyer whispered, "Hate to tell you this then, but I'm pregnant."

"That's nice."

Fangmeyer waited for it to finally click in her mate's head. When it did, she watched him raise his eyes to her with his ears flat against his head. "Surprise, Daddy." she whispered with a grin.

Blinking a couple of times slowly, Wolford waited for his brain to reboot. "I honestly don't know how to take that."

It was about three hours later when the two walked out of Precinct One with a box of files in paw. Wolford was still grumbling about having to take work home with them. Fangmeyer simply shook her head. Neither realized the shadow moving along behind them.

The drive home never took too long for them, only living a few city blocks away. Fangmeyer set her box down in the living room, on top of their coffee table. "I'll get some coffee started. Then, we can resume where we left off earlier."

"As you say." Wolford responded. He opened his box and began rereading the papers inside for probably the fifth time that day. This time though, something stuck out that hadn't prior. "Hey. Jay Ichneumon's parents were government officials, right?" Getting a confirmative noise from his wife, Wolford stated, "It says here, his father worked for military researchers while Mrs. Ichneumon treated psychiatric patients as a psychotherapist. Where's that file Dr. Sandra gave us?"

"On the study table." Fangmeyer shouted. "I thought it was proven the abductor hadn't known who he kitnapped. What are you thinking?"

"Don't know yet. I'll tell you once I do." Wolford began skimming for the contents he needed. "Listen to this. It's kind of a journal entry. _'The little mongoose has proven himself more resilient than expected. Too bad I must break him. I hate to admit he has become my favorite specimen. It pains me to know his parents are out there pleading for any information on his whereabouts, but there's nothing anyone can do anymore. It's far too late.'_ Dr. Sandra has conclusive proof Jay was at that asylum."

Fangmeyer sat down next to her husband. "We already knew that though. Unless you've realized something else."

"I don't think Jay was the only kit taken. If I'm right, there were more kits abducted and subjected to experimentation elsewhere. Jay's probably the only one who managed to survive though. This journal entry has none of the identifying markers of being written by a doctor. I…I think this was written by whoever oversaw everything that happened there."

* * *

The sensation of a water droplet striking her nose woke Dr. Sandra. Eyes fluttering open, the sand cat realized she was no longer at home in bed. "Hello?" Her croak echoed throughout the room. Coughing, Dr. Sandra again croaked out, "H-Hello?"

"Oh, good. You're awake." Samantha greeted as she walked into the room. "I'm glad to see you've finally regained consciousness."

"Which do you serve? Jay? Or, my old employer?" Dr. Sandra asked, voice still rough.

"Does it matter? Perhaps it's neither." Samantha stepped close to the sand cat. "I know what you did. I'm here to have you answer for your crimes."

Dr. Sandra stated, "Trust me. I'll answer for them soon enough. I have no doubt of that. I only want to know if you're here for Jay, or my old employer."

"I'm here for Jay." Samantha eventually answered. "He told me about the horrid thing y'all did to him. I only wanted to know why?"

"Money has more influence than even the gods." Dr. Sandra explained. "I never wanted any of this. None of this was meant to happen." Taking a deep breath, she continued, "There's so much Jay has yet to understand about what happened to him." Suddenly, a repetitive 'plink, plink, plink' sounded, causing Dr. Sandra to jump. "Listen to me carefully: Tell Jay to visit Dr. Kraven. Inquire about Project Shaper. Do NOT engage the Invisible King until…"

The sand cat never finished. Her head exploded with a loud, resounding 'BANG'. Samantha dove for cover behind a metal crate as another was fired at her previous position. The vixen ran, and she didn't look back even once.

From his position, the sand cat's executioner purposefully failed to hit the vixen. His task was only to eliminate Dr. Sandra, which he had completed. He had received no instruction regarding any others. Though he contemplated tying loose ends, it wasn't part of the contract. Storing his sniper rifle away, he heaved the rucksack onto his back and proceeded to leave the immediate vicinity. Entering the vehicle waiting for him, he accepted the burner phone his chauffer proffered.

"It's done. I've exterminated Dr. Sandra. Her original captor got away." He listened as the other mammal spoke. "I understand. Yes, sir. I shall see you relatively soon. Is there anything else you currently require of me? Then, I shall await your call." Ending the call, he closed his eyes. "Driver, take me home."

Elsewhere, another also set their own phone down. Upon their desk sat a single photograph. There was nothing else except that. They examined it with keen eyes. Running a single claw along the frame's edge, they whispered, "I'll see all of you soon."

 **This is the first time our Big Bad is introduced, somewhat.**

 **Although, our sniper assassin uses the term 'sir', don't immediately assume they are male. I haven't actually decided their gender yet.**

 **I had written myself into a corner because of the previous version of Chapter 12. Thanks to its revisions, I'm freed myself. It's a major pain, but sometimes necessary.**

 **In my head, the scene where Dr. Sandra is murdered, I see something similar to when Gibbs, Tony, and McGee rescue Ziva on NCIS. Only, there's no saving our poor sand cat.**

 **A consummate professional would do exactly what our sniper did. He didn't deviate in the slightest from his mission. He did nothing more nor anything less than the details given to him.**

 **Fangmeyer and Wolford's part was small, but it's meant that way. Their little supposed secret won't remain that way for much longer, and shit will hit the fan.**

 **Dawn's backstory is a bit redundant. Multiple authors have her father being abusive. Few have her mother. I wanted both because it wouldn't have given her any way out. Either she obeyed and lived or…well, it wasn't that uncommon for parents to kill their children way back when if they saw fit.**

 **As for Bogo, much like Palpatine, he's going to initiate a purge. All those allied with Job/Jay will soon find themselves targets. Having the Internal Affairs Bureau chief assist is a great way to ensure none remain.**

 **Next Chapter: Nick begins to break from reality. Judy witnesses it. A potential candidate for our mysterious Big Bad is revealed.**

 **Last Note: I want to elaborate one particular thing. Take a look at the final line of story content. The mention of a claw doesn't mean they are a predator. After all, Judy is a bunny, but she has claws, albeit blunt ones. Certain prey species do have claws. Also, we will meet three candidates in total who will reappear inconsistently.**

 **Ciao for now.**


End file.
